Walking is Basic
Humans are made to walk. Our leg and hip musles are designed for long daily hikes. Of all transportation modes, walking is the oldest and remains the most basic, and of all recreational sports, walking is the easiest and most widely pursued.
We love to walk. Venturing outside of our homes and vehicles, our feet contact the ground, our bodies push against the breeze, and our legs carry us automatically and rhythmically uphill and down, under the limbs of trees, and out again into the sunlight. Walking is a tremendous pleasure and is good exercise that can be done throughout life. Moving at three miles per hour sharpens the brain, too. Notable poets and scientists throughout history have depended on daily walks for creative thinking and problem solving.
Walking in a town or city environment offers layers of sociability, transportation, and commerce. Almost everywhere in the world, going for a walk is a useful activity, a pleasant diversion, or a grand tradition.