In one memorable exchange on "Sex and the City," an ex-boyfriend tries to coax the entrenched urbanite and inveterate indoorswoman Carrie Bradshaw into accompanying him on a hike. "I don't really hike," she says. His reply? "Neither do I. But I will fill you in on something I discovered. Hiking is walking."

Well, yes and no. For many city-dwellers, a stroll through a nearby park will do just fine. But for those who have discovered the well-earned pleasures of climbing mountains, crossing rivers, traversing canyons, hopping boulders and dodging bears, en route to a particularly spectacular view or awe-inspiring natural wonder, hiking counts as a sacred pastime. And the journey is every bit as important as the destination.

"A lot of people hike because it's their connection with nature," says Margie Cohen of the American Hiking Society, an organization that advocates for protection of foot trails and surrounding natural areas. "There's a spiritual component to that. Stripping away the cell phone, the TV, the Blackberry. Getting back to basics."