CHATHAM, NH—During a long-planned excursion with his family through the White Mountain National Forest, 12-year-old Austin Tanden is said to have spent an entire hiking trip Tuesday fantasizing about exactly which video games he would play when he got home. “First, I’m going to boot up Fortnite and see if any of my…
Y’ know - if it gets the kid through the hike, there’s nothing wrong with it. (Yes, I know it’s the onion, but let’s be real).
When I was a kid, I had my nose in books all the time. On long road trips, my parents sometimes told me to put down the book and look out the window, appreciate the landscape. I had no appreciation for landscape at that age. I do now that I’m in my mid-40s. But back then? I wanted to read my books.
My parents loved to go on long hikes. I kept up, I sometimes struggled, I sometimes hated it. What was I looking forward to at the end of the hike? Settling down with one of my books. My reward, if you so will. I like a good hike these days, back then not so much. If I’d had video games at the time, I’d probably have fantasised about them too, if it got me through a long and (in my mind) boring hike.