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Comment by 13of40 | Hacker News Reader

I don't know if it's necessarily the activity as much as the adherence to the same route that feels sad. At the same time, it's not that I feel sad for the guy, but I think it would drive me nuts if I did that. Reading about Emmanuel Kant's daily walking routine makes me feel a little bit of despair in my soul, even though I understand he probably had a much deeper internal experience going on than I can relate to.

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I did the same 1.5 mile trail (Council Crest in Portland, OR w/ 750’ of elevation gain) 110 times in 2019 (part of a 10 mile round trip route from my apartment). I learned every step of the trail and named the more notable trees. I could do the whole trail in my mind and feel like I was there. I did it in 100 degree summer weather, many times in pouring rain, and even ice and snow.

I felt like it was a privilege to get to know something that deeply.

But I’m also somebody who doesn’t ever plan to leave the US or even get on a plane again because there’s so much worth seeing right outside my front door!

Thanks for sharing that. I liked your note on doing the trail in your mind because it reminds me of when I stumble through a piano piece that I learned decades ago as a kid. It somehow brings me back in time, so that I feel like I could guess what was cooking for dinner or what was stressing me out at school/home.

I learned I could do it at the dentist office while getting a cavity filled! It’s been a helpful de-stressing tool.

You know you are half way to a memory palace already?!

If you wanted to you could fairly easily use that memorized route to memorize anything else you wish to.

Yup there's a hill nearby that I've climbed about 100 times on my bike over the past couple years. I always cherish my time that I spend there - the scenery is constantly changing throughout the season, and I frequently run into acquaintances along the way.

Every day might get a little monotonous, but a couple times a week is doable (and enjoyable) for sure!

I pass a sightseeing spot on my usual run. It's on a hill, overseeing a lake bellow as well as forest surrounding the lake. I take the same picture whenever I got phone on me. Looking back at the pictures, there're no 2 identical pictures. Lush greenery, snow, ice on a lake, brownness of the fall.... Maybe a tree has fallen or a younger tree got big enough to cover older ones since the year before.

There're tons and tons of details that are hard to notice if you ain't coming back for a hundredth time.

I’ve been walking a similar route through the nearby forest for the last 2-3 years. It really isn’t the same thing on a day to day basis. The weather changes, the plants change. In the winter, you can see quite far into the woods. In the summer, you see only green, but lots of different plants and insects. Sometimes, there’s deer, the bird sounds change with the season. Lots of woodpeckers in the winter and spring.

It’s not the only route I walk, but I was surprised myself that I almost never found it boring.

As someone who mostly frequents like, two, different running routes, I tend to agree.

If you at all get into a bit of nature, it is so much more varied than the daily route between the computer and coffee machine at home for example.

I think people misses that comparison.

Some people just love routine. Just recently I have listened interview with local Olympic swimmer Giedrius Titenis (not in English, so won't share). He mentioned that he liked to swim in a pool the same n*100 meter distances multiple times each day. Repeat and repeat and repeat. This allows person to compare current result with previous. Measure time and think "oh, I made in xy seconds but still had some power left, I can do better next time".

Thanks for sharing your viewpoint. I find repitition of the same routine mind-numbing. Walking to the office where there is only one valid route, it destroys me. I think others find such things meditative.

Meta: I don't get how people claim to be curious about other's perspectives, then when someone shares a perspective they downvote it because it's not the same as their own.

It would drive you nuts, but they probably love it or they would have stopped years ago.

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