"Ah," you say, "but isn't the whole purpose of hiking to see the beauty of the natural environment around you?" No, I reply. The whole purpose of hiking is to get from point A to point B in one piece, and so I agree with those who say, "Eyes on the ground while moving."

The whole purpose of stopping, on the other hand, is to enjoy the beauty of the natural environment around you. And I stop. A lot. For me, a trip is not about piling up miles. Yes, the sheer exercise feels good. And yes, you often do have to do your daily allotment of miles to keep a trip on some kind of "schedule." But I will pause for a couple of seconds to look into an intriguing glade, or observe the sandstone cliff on the other side of the creek, or maybe just to observe the creek. And I usually stop for about 10 minutes an hour to get the pack off and sit down - and I try to pick an overlook, or someplace interesting to be part of for those minutes. Another hour for lunch, and maybe a nap, and arrive at camp, 8 - 10 miles away from last night's camp, with enough time to explore for half an hour before or after supper, then quietly sitting in camp and letting it get dark around me - can't ask for a better day.

Stopping is highly underrated.