What's the huge obsession to the countryside?

To some people, the allure of the great outdoors is great. campers have warm, comfortable and spacious homes, yet they leave it all to shiver outside in a cramped tent in the wild . Participants in extreme sports like mountain biking are typically healthy and in the prime of life, but they risk both life and health to push themselves further. What is the attraction? Here are the top 10 reasons people crave the outdoors:

1. Beauty and grandeur

"O beautiful for halcyon skies, for amber waves of grain, for purple mountain majesties," go the evocative words to America the Beautiful. cities have their beauty, but an outdoor vista untouched by people can take your breath away. Because of this, people have a strong emotional pull toward the outdoors. Even people who claim to hate the outdoors bring plants into their homes, decorate with the colors of nature, and have conservatories built so they can see the scenery.

2. Spaciousness

"O beautiful for spacious skies" are words that resonate with many people. There is something exhilarating about seeing a majestic vista spread before you. The feeling is often a paradoxical sense of smallness and freedom. In the tiny space of the home or office, adults often feel an overwhelming sense of responsibility, as if too much rests on their shoulders. Being outdoors puts it all into perspective. The order of the universe will continue even if you don't get that report written for your boss and even if your child gets a B in algebra.

3. Escape from distractions

Most urbanites and suburbanites experience a constant low-level stress from the strains of modern life. always e-mails to answer, phone calls to answer, bills to pay and lots of unfinished tasks to complete. By pushing it all aside to row down a lazy river in a boat, hearing nothing but the twitter of birds and the smooth slapping of oars against water, the mind becomes peaceful.

Although they may complain at first, children benefit from getting away from the TV and Internet. The constant distractions from various electronics make it hard to concentrate. Parents notice their children calming down and actually being tired when they go to bed at night.

4. Adventure

although pioneers are no longer settling uncharted areas\places, people still have an inborn\huge desire to explore. Adventure is the primary reason hunters go into the wild to kill and drag their dinner home rather than heading to the meat department of the convenience store. There's just no sport in picking up a pack of bacon for £ 3.45 a pound.

5. Fitness

Working out at the gym keeps you fit and is very safe, but it can quickly get boring. Climbing a cliff face focuses every ounce of attention to the task, and the continual danger keeps it from ever getting stale. For those who prefer safer challenges, even a hike offers a change of scenery at every turn. Unlike a gym workout, a bike ride has built-in motivation. An person can simply step off a treadmill when it gets dull, but a day hiker can't just quit in the middle of the trail.

6. Challenging

Correct use of gadgetry can make or break an outdoor experience. In extreme sports, it can mean the difference between life and death. Gadget-lovers pore over the specifications of everything from tents to waterproofs, and they love every minute of it. Each expedition becomes a technical feat. Mountaineers calculate the number of pitons required to ascend a pitch, ice fishers decide which auger to purchase, and bow-and-arrow hunters choose which kind of arrow to use.

7. Mental challenge

Most outdoor pursuits require more than muscle strength. They challenge the mind. Any excursion into the unknown requires careful planning. Backpacking is one example of this mental exercise. Hikers mull over each tool and piece of clothing to decide whether it is worthy of going into the backpack. Each piece of kit is carefully weighed and totaled. BackpackersWalkers find that the mental challenge of paring down to bare essentials is very liberating.

8. Live for the now

Much of work, home and school life is focused on the future. Office workers strive for a promotion, parents save for college, and students study for upcoming exams. The details of the present are usually barely noticed. When people go backpacking, cycling, climbing or canoeing, they are forced to pause all thoughts about the future. All that matters is making the correct next move. When people live in the moment, immediate surroundings come into sharp focus. Even the food begins to taste better. Campers say there is no better taste than bacon and eggs cooking in a pan over an open fire.

People who have life-or-death experiences in the country often say that this intense, moment-by-moment feeling changes their life. They come back with a new perspective for every good thing they have.

9. Camaraderie

Having a mate to share a tent and an outdoor adventure brings you far closer than any night on the town. Encountering dangerous conditions, those in which your life is in your partner's hands, brings a great level of trust that few other situations match. One sport that involves extreme trust is rock climbing, in which one friend is on belay and the other secures the rope.

10. Spiritual insights

Occasionally reaching to the end of your body's ability brings intense spiritual insights. Many people who come face to face with near death experiences in the wilderness report a strong feeling of love propelling them forward, a sense that their loved ones are present in spirit. In the early ninety's, Jim Davidson and his climbing partner, Price, fell into a crevasse while climbing Mount Rainier. Mike didn't make it out alive in the accident, and Jim, though grief-stricken over the loss of his pal, felt the presence of his dad encouraging him through the dangerous vertical ascent to safety.

Aside from life-or-death situations, many people ponder the order of the universe during their adventures into the wild, whether they believe in a creator or not.

With all the benefits of country life, what's the attraction to the great outdoors