Video Of The Day: Solo Hiking Through Iceland & The Psychology Of The Adventure Traveler

It's become a fashion in the last years for people of all ages to try to go the extra mile. But my background in psychology tells me this is no coincidence, not now when depression is transforming into an epidemic.

We live in a donkey with a carrot world. Today's Western society gives us little means to fill those huge shoes it has prepared for us. The toll gets higher and higher and we feel the need to live up to our parents, teachers and politicians expectations. Why? Because we are human and it is normal to want to be accepted, appreciated and have a sense of belonging. 

I have to say I admire deeply these adventurers we see on TV and read about in newspapers almost on a daily basis. They found their own creative solution, a strategy to cope with this damn demanding society that asks from you to be a winner without really giving you the opportunity to get in the race in the first place. They are the smart and brave ones who bend the rules and literally find new territories to conquer.

There are very few opportunities to be better than everybody else in a certain field. Nevertheless, we are supposed to be 'the best'. But we cannot all be the best, now, can we? I don't think people live adventurously just for the adrenaline rush. The adventure traveler is first of all a person in desperate need for a confirmation of their worth.

In the summer of 2011, Klara Harden hiked solo for 25 days through Iceland. She is an Austrian photographer and cinematographer and she recently published this extraordinary 15 minutes video she filmed during her adventures. I get it, Iceland's scenery is breathtaking; the midnight sun in Iceland video already made me want to visit the island-country. But Klara goes further, and while Iceland is still 'oh' and 'ah' she lets you read between the lines the emptiness and the harshness of this land.

Miss Harden passes by lonely little houses, dead animals and she even gets lost at one point. We, humans, became who we are now because we formed a society. We are not really good at living alone in the middle of a vast plateau. We tend to get disorientated and panic when we loose the beacon. Luckily for her (and for us), Klara found her way back. She's got her victory. For the moment.

That being said, please don't just stay there waiting for the depression to catch up with you. Go conquer something, do something you can be proud of. You don't have to be perfect, just get a sense of purpose and live a trail behind you. Others will come to build the motorway, don't worry about that.