Walking is what humans do.

Today I went for another nice, mild bushwalk/hike with some of my SES buddies. It was a bright, sunny day, nowhere near as chilly as it could have been. And after a while of level walking along a nice, easy fire road, we sat and cooked up some lunch (for me, couscous with spices, dried fruit, and almonds). A bit more walking, then we all went home.

I was thinking as we walked that it's just plain good for you. I don't necessarily mean good for your fitness, although there's that, too. I'm thinking that the rhythm, the quiet, the steadiness of it, is just something we're suited for. There's probably some sort of evolutionary imperative for it — striding across the savannah while foraging or bringing the kill back home to the family or whatever. Or crossing a land bridge from Asia. Trading in exotic spices from afar. Fleeing political persecution while establishing a Communist outpost in the mountains — um, this is getting more complicated than I thought.