{"id":28731,"date":"2026-09-13T17:37:07","date_gmt":"2026-09-14T00:37:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/?p=28731"},"modified":"2026-09-17T10:30:04","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T17:30:04","slug":"hiking-is-a-modern-invention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/2026\/09\/13\/hiking-is-a-modern-invention\/","title":{"rendered":"Hiking is a Modern Invention"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul>\n<li>The idea of hiking was not a thing until relatively recently;<\/li>\n<li>How Trump is stifling free speech;<\/li>\n<li>Brief items about hurricanes and methane;<\/li>\n<li>Nice Bruckner 6 performance by Myung-Whun Chung.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div align=\"center\">&#8211; &#8211; &#8211;<\/div>\n<p>First, a think piece. About how the things we take for granted today have not always been so.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/wp-apps\/imrs.php?src=https:\/\/arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/IODJR2SPHBDOB4EUK72GPAMQSM_size-normalized.JPG&amp;w=1440&amp;impolicy=high_res\" width=\"500\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Washington Post, opinion by Dominic Pino, today<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/opinions\/2026\/09\/13\/like-hiking-thank-industrialization\/\">A hike through the woods feels natural. It\u2019s anything but<\/a>, subtitled &#8220;The industrial revolution provided the impetus, the income and the time to do it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>A few weeks ago, I went on a hike with some friends in the mountains in Colorado. The weather was perfect, the lakes and trees were gorgeous and we even saw a moose.<\/p>\n<p>As I took in the views and breathed the fresh air, I also appreciated what has made hiking possible: industrialization. Hiking is often seen as a natural activity, but there\u2019s nothing natural about it, and almost nobody did it before the industrial revolution.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Commenting as I read. I can anticipate some of this. Before the Industrial Revolution (and mostly before the past century), there were no mechanisms for even daily transportation. No planes, trains, cars. Maybe you had a horse. In town, maybe you took a horse-drawn cab. But otherwise, people walked everywhere. And here we go:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Before the industrial revolution, the great outdoors was most people\u2019s workplace. They were out there from dawn to dusk in all kinds of weather, doing grueling manual labor, or else they starved. It was only the richest of the rich who could stay inside and partake in such hedonistic extravagances as eating a varied diet or learning how to read. Today we can enjoy the great outdoors because we do it on our own terms.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>And this next is significant. This is the kind of understanding of how ancient ways of living in an unknown world gave rise to so many myths, and misapprehensions about the world.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>But back then, wandering around outside could be dangerous. The medieval Norse word <a title=\"https:\/\/www.dhi.ac.uk\/lmnl\/nordicheadword\/displayPage\/4782\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dhi.ac.uk\/lmnl\/nordicheadword\/displayPage\/4782\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\">sk\u00f3ggangr<\/a>, a formal punishment for very serious crimes, translates to \u201cgoing to the woods.\u201d People who received that sentence were <a title=\"https:\/\/norse-mythology.org\/outlawry-viking-age\/\" href=\"https:\/\/norse-mythology.org\/outlawry-viking-age\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\">cut off from Norse society<\/a>, leaving them with nowhere to go but the forest, where they eventually died.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wpds-c-PJLV article-body type-text\" data-qa=\"article-body\">\n<p class=\"wpds-c-heFNVF wpds-c-heFNVF-iPJLV-css overrideStyles font-copy\" dir=\"null\" data-apitype=\"text\" data-contentid=\"KHTPVKFZL5FCVPFO2VBVJFZGNE\" data-el=\"text\" data-scroll-pos=\"5\" data-scroll-measured=\"true\">Fear of the woods is also evident in old fairy tales, where the forest was commonly portrayed as <a title=\"https:\/\/www.unesco.org\/en\/articles\/robert-pogue-harrison-there-fundamental-connection-between-poetry-and-forests\" href=\"https:\/\/www.unesco.org\/en\/articles\/robert-pogue-harrison-there-fundamental-connection-between-poetry-and-forests\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\">a scary place<\/a> because the rules of society didn\u2019t apply there. Now, with the professional management of park services and the aid of mass-produced gear, people can enjoy a break from society even with small children in tow.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>And this point, which I anticipated:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>As for walking, for most of human history, it wasn\u2019t recreation. It was the primary mode of transportation. The idea of walking purely for pleasure began as a Romantic-era reaction to the beginning of industrialization, with its sooty smokestacks and unventilated indoor workplaces.<\/p>\n<p>But that still wasn\u2019t anything like hiking as we know it today. Walking in the woods didn\u2019t really take off until it could be done with pre-marked paths, backpacks full of snacks and comfortable clothes and hiking boots made from synthetic materials in factories in Asia.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The irony.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Nowadays, countless Americans get in their personal cars to drive to the airport to fly across the country to rent another car to drive partway up a mountain to go for a walk. Only in a rich, industrialized society can people afford to do that.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>And that&#8217;s because, these days, we have so much more free time. Concluding:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>As the weather cools and the leaves change color, take in the beauty of Earth while getting some exercise if you\u2019re able. Just don\u2019t be under the illusion that you\u2019re rebelling against modernity. Hiking is fun only because of the industrial revolution.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>\\\\\\<\/p>\n<p>Front page today. How do he and his supporters pretend they honor the Constitution?<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/09\/10\/multimedia\/00dc-trump-media-bqck\/00dc-trump-media-bqck-superJumbo.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp\" width=\"300\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>NY Times, news analysis by Jim Rutenberg and Maggie Haberman, today<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/09\/12\/us\/politics\/trump-free-speech.html?unlocked_article_code=1.A1E.P7H3.aQzfQuwl80oq&amp;smid=url-share\">How Trump Is Wielding Power to Stifle Speech<\/a>, subtitled &#8220;President Trump has harnessed agencies across the government to curtail press freedoms, a sweeping campaign that free speech advocates say will have lasting effects.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>My take: Well, because by MAGA definition everything Trump says is right and true, so anyone saying &#8220;Oh wait, actually the Constitution says&#8230;&#8221; must be wrong and therefore deserves to be suppressed.<\/p>\n<p>(Some of this goes back to the Patriot Act passed after 9\/11, to make that tie.)<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The Justice Department has sent F.B.I. agents to reporters\u2019 homes to <a class=\"css-povzk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/07\/11\/business\/media\/new-york-times-trump-subpoenas.html\">serve subpoenas<\/a> and, in at least one case, <a class=\"css-povzk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/national-security\/2026\/01\/14\/washington-post-reporter-search\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">flashed a warrant<\/a> to seize devices. The Pentagon <a class=\"css-povzk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/08\/27\/us\/politics\/stars-and-stripes-fired-journalists-lawsuit-pentagon.html\">has fired<\/a> the editor and publisher of its traditionally independent newspaper, Stars and Stripes, and blocked access to other journalists who refused to sign pledges that would limit their reporting.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-12m5bll evys1bk0\">Regulatory agencies are using their powers to pressure media organizations over their content. The administration has <a class=\"css-povzk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/08\/01\/business\/media\/corporation-for-public-broadcasting-shut-down.html\">stripped funding<\/a> from public television and radio. Angry over stories he does not like, President Trump has sued major news organizations and the White House has taken control of the previously independent press pool that tracks the president, deciding which outlets can participate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-12m5bll evys1bk0\">Almost 20 months into Mr. Trump\u2019s second term, his long-running media clashes have grown into a sweeping campaign to control speech in America that stands out for applying so many levers, so fast, all at once.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-12m5bll evys1bk0\">Driven by personal pique, fury over leaks and a determination to shape the political narrative to his advantage, Mr. Trump is deploying the might of the federal government and filing personal lawsuits \u2014 targeting not just journalists and liberal critics, but also comedians and talk show hosts, and the corporate entities behind them.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>What the defenders say.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>To the president and his allies, he is simply demanding accountability for what he casts as biased, unfair and sometimes inaccurate coverage and criticism \u2014 an effort that has been welcomed by longtime conservative press critics like those at the <a class=\"css-povzk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/theMRC\/status\/2069425893022335189\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Media Research Center<\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Again, pointing out that Trump is wrong is &#8220;biased reporting.&#8221;<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Free speech advocates say the president\u2019s intent is apparent: to punish, intimidate and silence dissenters.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s not a week that goes by where they\u2019re not taking a new step to curtail press freedom in the country,\u201d said Clayton Weimers, the executive director of the North America division of Reporters Without Borders. \u201cWe have measured a substantial diminishment of press freedoms.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When challenged in court, the president and the administration have frequently lost, confronted with strongly worded rulings from judges affirming First Amendment rights.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>And Trump&#8217;s tactics go back decades. Long article.<\/p>\n<p>\\\\<\/p>\n<p>Short items about the current administration.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>JMG, today<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.joemygod.com\/2026\/09\/white-house-credits-trump-with-preventing-hurricanes\/\">White House Credits Trump With Preventing Hurricanes<\/a><\/li>\n<li>These people are imbeciles.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>JMG, today<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.joemygod.com\/2026\/09\/epa-to-loosen-restrictions-on-methane-pollution\/\">EPA To Loosen Restrictions On Methane Pollution<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Of course they are. It&#8217;s all about short-term gains at the expense of existential threats.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\\\\\\<\/p>\n<p>Another clean (no ads), multi-perspective video of a major symphony: Bruckner&#8217;s 6th. Myung-Whun Chung.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Bruckner: Symphony No.6 | Myung-Whun Chung\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/YDqLL6Oyx3I?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>A brief, deep, introspective passage begins at 19:35. Though this performance takes it a tad slower than most others. It happens again just after 27:00. These are the passages that make me pause&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The idea of hiking was not a thing until relatively recently; How Trump is stifling free speech; Brief items about hurricanes and methane; Nice Bruckner 6 performance by Myung-Whun Chung. &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; First, a think piece. About how the &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/2026\/09\/13\/hiking-is-a-modern-invention\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,96,17,54],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28731","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-culture","category-human-nature","category-music","category-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28731","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28731"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28731\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28782,"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28731\/revisions\/28782"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28731"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28731"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28731"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}