I have gone hiking many times in my life. From short day hikes, to strenuous day hikes covering more than thirty miles, to extended trips. While I haven't done any of the classic long "thru-hikes" like the Appalachian Trail, Continental Divide and Pacific Crest trail; I've hiked most of all three, just not in one sitting. I've thought about doing the whole thing in one sitting, but still have mixed emotions on it. There are so many things to see and do in life. Anyway, I've covered a lot of different types of terrains, in many different types of weather.
I find hiking a wonderfully relaxing sport; where you can disconnect from all of the daily distractions and technology. I love going out into the backcountry, and getting away from e-mail, cell phones, etc. It's great, because you can do it many places, and many times, don't need much more than a small pack with emergency gear. It's allowed me to see and experience many places all around the globe.
Here is a picture from one trip in California, we had to walk right through several herds of elk. Many mornings, the elk were grazing right outside the tent.
In this picture, it is easy to see the trail. If you were to get lost here, you should be nominated for the Darwin Awards. Although, there was a section where the trail diminished into nothingness and we had to blaze our own trail. That was quite the adventure, climbing around cliffs and ledges with a fully loaded pack on our backs.
Lately, I usually tend towards a minimalist approach. It's really more that I've gotten more experienced over the years and have the necessary equipment dialed in much better now; so I carry less. Makes hiking longer distances and seeing more terrain easier. You can see some of the fruits of this on my Past Trips page.