I have never done any arduous mountain climbing requiring rappelling or scaling cliffs, but I have enjoyed hiking to mountain peaks along trails. And in general, I love being in the woods and camping.
The very first peak I climbed was Vanderwhacker Mountain in the Adirondacks of New York State. The year was 1964. I was 12 years old, I was one of the youngest members of the group. I struggled all the way up.
But when we reached the top, I was overwhelmed. I was seeing the view from a mountaintop -- and I knew that I was seeing it because I had climbed up there myself! It is hard to communicate how emotional an experience that was. But in that instant, I knew that this would be something important to me for the rest of my life. It was one of those experiences where I knew I had changed, because my perception of the world had changed.
That was at a summer camp I attended for the first time. I kept going back summer after summer, became a better hiker, and eventually was hired as a hiking counselor!
@DrWatson We used to camp in lower elevations off the White Mountain Trail. We would hide our overnight gear off trail, then do different peaks as day hikes.
