My hike today spanned the 3500 km of the Appalachian Trail. The journey I embarked when I began hiking my desk has already connected me with remote corners of the world, and as I reflect on the truths these excursions have imparted, I am wont to ponder the details that I have missed.

Like much of the rest of life, the value of the hike is in the journey and not the destination; we hike our desks both as an alternative to a quest for self or meaning–as these goal-oriented journeys fail the tests of scalability and time, and as a quiet affirmation: escaping the vast, unknown possibilities of the human experience, I know with certainty only that I can hike my desk.

Such is the satisfaction of the hike.

Thanks to Kevin Gallagher for providing today’s hike.