The only time I hike just to hike is for conditioning - mainly a 5-6 mile walk from my house and walking the dog.

I hike to see amazing scenery, get to remote places, climb mountains. I started out mountaineering and backpacking was just a way to get to the base of the mountain. We were minimalists in camping gear simply because that left more room to pile on tons of climbing gear. My first exposure to other aspects of backpacking (such as fishing and learning wild plants) was at NOLS. At first I felt that all this was just a waste of time that I could have been climbing. Gradually I began to appreciate other aspects of backpacking. To this day, I do not like to hike or backpack just for the sake of walking. I am much more into off-trail exploring than trail hiking, although trails are great ways to get into the high country quickly. I just got back from a trip to Mexico and spent four days doing urban hiking photographing 18th-19th century architecture. I also enjoy urban hiking in San Francisco. But there has to be unique scenery or else it is just hiking for getting into condition.