Fit for purpose

Like every other hobby, hiking can take its toll on your pocket, but regardless there are some items that are needed before you can do any sort of real hike.

Between myself and the other guys I normally hike with, we have extra items of most of the gear needed, but there are some items that you just cannot lend. My boots are a size 14, and although I still have my previous pair, there are not many people I know who take that size shoe so it is the one item that you need to have in order to come on a hike in the berg.

If you are just going for an afternoon stroll, your Nikes or Sketches will do the job, if you looking to do a trail run, you will need something a bit more hardy, when it comes to hiking, and specifically hiking in the berg, the old shoes you have lying around won’t cut it.

The remainder of Kyle's boots

I vividly remember a hike we did a few year ago: we were off to do the bell traverse; 5 hikers, 3 first timers. As usual we did a pre-hike check and we were happy with everyone's gear. On the descent, Kyle’s boots started taking some strain, and it was about half way down the zig-zag’s that the sole came off of the upper part of the boots. Kyle was wearing hiking boots, but the terrain in the berg is so rough, that even boots take stain and sometimes, like Kyle's, they can fail. The temporary fix (one which we have used since) was to strap the sole to the upper using Duct Tape, now standard equipment on every hike.

If Kyle was wearing normal shoes, they wouldn’t have lasted that long, because hiking boots are made to purpose, as are running shoes and in fact so are ballet shoes. I am convinced that someone trying to do ballet in hiking boots would be rather unsuccessful – allow your imagination to picture that for a second.

As people, the same applies to us; we are made for a specific purpose. My brother and I are similar in many ways, but there are some areas where we are very different and these differences mean that if I tried to do the things he does, I probably would not be very successful, not to mention that I would wear myself out in having to working extra hard to do them.

The apostle Paul puts it beautifully when he writes to the Corinthians and compares the church to a body. He goes on to say that every member of the body has a part to play while at the same time needing the other members. We cannot expect to do it alone, nor can we expect others to do everything – this is true for every environment: When I hike, at work, in my church and also in my family.

What were you built for – what is your purpose?