Keith Foskett > Quotes

“Light travels faster than sound – this is why some people appear bright until they speak.”
― Keith Foskett, The Journey in Between

“We all carried duct tape. The wide, silver material is easy to tear off yet extremely strong. To save space in our packs, we wound it around trekking poles. We used it for pack repairs, broken sunglasses, ripped clothing and even taped it to our ankles. The strength and slippery surface were ideal for blister prevention. I considered it one of a few truly necessary items.”
― Keith Foskett, The Last Englishman

“I have a recurring dream in which I am 85 years old, sitting in my living room, swaying back and forth in a rocking chair, studying the newspaper. I pause, look up and think of all the adventures I could have experienced and say to myself, 'Shit, I should have done that.' That is a scene I am determined will not happen in real life.”
― Keith Foskett, The Last Englishman

“I agreed with Brains; we’re becoming too greedy, we live in a democracy but our voices aren’t heard. We elect leaders based on broken promises. What can we do? Not much – write a letter to our MP or post on social media. It’s frustrating to feel so helpless. Democracy isn’t democracy any more.”
― Keith Foskett, The Last Englishman

“Though material pleasures provide a sense of achievement, the feeling is only temporary. Two weeks after buying a car, it is just a car. That bright, shiny new cell phone is exciting for a few days until the next model is released. It’s a never-ending loop of buy and replace, a fake pleasure. If you’re after true fulfilment, I say take a walk in the wilderness.”
― Keith Foskett, The Last Englishman

“I was soaked to the bone and due to get even wetter so decided on the harder of the two trails, comforted by the fact that, hopefully, it would be quicker and there would be lodging at Inchnadamph.”
― Keith Foskett, High and Low: How I Hiked Away From Depression Across Scotland

“NASA did fake the”
― Keith Foskett, The Last Englishman

“Dromomania From the Latin dromas (runner) and mania (excessive or unreasonable desire, even insanity) is an uncontrollable impulse to wander.”
― Keith Foskett, Balancing on Blue: A Dromomaniac Hiking

“Size, we are told, is not important. This maxim is not applicable to bears. The size of a bear is in fact directly proportional to the fear it strikes into one’s heart.”
― Keith Foskett, The Last Englishman: A Thru-Hiking Adventure on the Pacific Crest Trail

“Many of you have dreams, a desire to do something different but are a little hesitant to follow them because they seem risky. OK, some dreams fail but I urge you to at least try. Persistence conquers skill, knowledge and qualifications. If you want something strongly enough and are prepared to live outside the system and chase it like you've never chased anything before in your life, you can do what you truly want to. Whether that choice is hiking a few thousand miles in the wilderness, sailing around the world, or forging a career as a graphic designer, it makes no difference.”
― Keith Foskett, Travelled Far: A Collection of Hiking Adventures

“Hiking a long-distance trail is not about giving up six months of your life. It’s about having six months to live.”
― Keith Foskett, The Last Englishman: A Thru-Hiking Adventure on the Pacific Crest Trail

“Many people just sit behind their steering wheel, scared to venture into the wilderness.”
― Keith Foskett, The Last Englishman: A Thru-Hiking Adventure on the Pacific Crest Trail

“As the explorer Roald Amundsen once said, “Adventure is just bad planning.”
― Keith Foskett, Balancing on Blue: A Dromomaniac Hiking

“Black Mountain Road,”
― Keith Foskett, The Last Englishman: A Thru-Hiking Adventure on the Pacific Crest Trail

“Every five years or so, my life catches me completely off guard and my inner voice starts screwing around. I have come to accept these phases, and, despite numerous initial doubts, I treat them seriously. Each phase centres on the suggestion of a major life change, regardless of whether I think I am happy at that precise time or not. These are not, initially, conscious decisions. My inner voice proposes that I’m unhappy and, to resolve this, suggests I make some alterations, presents some hare-brained idea from nowhere, lays the cards on the table and demands a decision. As ludicrous as the cards seem, and despite my protestations, they gradually start to nibble away at my sanity until my hesitation dwindles and, most of the time, I happily accept this new idea.”
― Keith Foskett, High and Low: How I Hiked Away From Depression Across Scotland

“Persistence conquers skill, knowledge and qualifications. If you want something strongly enough and are prepared to live outside the system and chase it like you’ve never chased anything before in your life, you can do what you truly want to. Whether that choice is hiking a few thousand miles in the wilderness, sailing around the world, or forging a career as a graphic designer, it makes no difference.”
― Keith Foskett, Travelled Far: A Collection of Hiking Adventures

“I think that’s why I ended up how I did. The enforced schooling, training, and jobs I dealt with begrudgingly for years moulded me into someone who resented authority. Of course, I was too young to understand at the time. Now my hatred of the system we live in – the politics, the rules, regulations I’m expected to abide by – angers me.”
― Keith Foskett, High and Low: How I Hiked Away From Depression Across Scotland

“As the sun lowered, a receding light chased it, fighting a losing battle with skies above becoming an inky canvas. Reds joined the celebration brushed with oranges, caressed with yellows and flicked by casual violets. Slowly, my surroundings darkened and I waved my hand, pretending to orchestrate the playing of the stars. They obliged willingly, each one joining in the symphony, visual musical instruments sharing the ensemble.”
― Keith Foskett, Balancing on Blue: A Dromomaniac Hiking

“It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.”
― Keith Foskett, High and Low: How I Hiked Away From Depression Across Scotland

“As I progressed, the lower flanks of Seana Bhraigh cleared, revealing the wide gaping valley of Gleann a’ Chadha Dheirg. Teasingly, the spectacle unfolded. With each step came a slight change, my angle of view refined, and those lower flanks moved aside just a little more. After all the tweaks, the full majesty of Gleann a’ Chadha Dheirg presented itself. At times, it appeared menacing. Seana Bhraigh, on one side of this valley, rose and stood proud of everything it surveyed. On the other side, of shorter stature but of no less beauty, stood Meall Glac an Ruighe. Both stood guard like sentinels, one minute placid, the next imposing like the gates of hell itself. Steep sides plummeted from a lofty perch, tumbling down from grey to green lowlands, and a ribbon of shimmering water wound down to meet me. The valley walls ran away, stretching further and converging until they curved and carved in to meet each other”
― Keith Foskett, High and Low: How I Hiked Away From Depression Across Scotland

“Time spent outdoors has a wonderful way of teaching us what we perceive is important and it puts our lives into perspective, reminding us of how little we need to be content”
― Keith Foskett, Balancing on Blue: A Dromomaniac Hiking

“Away from civilisation, I discovered a new pathway. Far from being oppressive, my surroundings were invigorating. I felt no restrictions but revelled in immunity. I felt energised, my thoughts became clear and precise, my direction in life clarified and my goals focused. I felt liberated.”
― Keith Foskett, Balancing on Blue: A Dromomaniac Hiking

“We seem to be brainwashed into thinking that there is an acceptable way of living our lives, and anyone that moves off that path or makes their own choices against the grain is not normal.”
― Keith Foskett, The Last Englishman

“Experiencing the outdoors or – even better, the untamed wilderness – imparts a certain wisdom about what is truly needed to be happy. Though material pleasures do provide a sense of achievement, a feel-good factor if you like, I worked out many moons ago that the feeling is only ever temporary. Two weeks after buying a car it’s just a car. Your bright, shiny new mobile phone is exciting for a couple of days and then you look for the improved version. It’s only a fake pleasure. If you’re after true fulfilment, I say take a walk in the wilderness.”
― Keith Foskett, The Last Englishman: A Thru-Hiking Adventure on the Pacific Crest Trail

“Life is simplified on a long walk such as the Camino. You learn to appreciate the simpler aspects – fresh spring water, a smooth trail free of rocks, the sun on your back or just a simple hello from the locals.”
― Keith Foskett, Travelled Far: A Collection of Hiking Adventures

“Two is company, four is a party, three is a crowd. One is a wanderer.”
― Keith Foskett, Balancing on Blue: A Dromomaniac Hiking

“It’s more than just walking. There’s a whole culture that goes along with the people. You know how you want the world to be? It’s like that on the Pacific Crest Trail. People are helping people. Monty ‘Warner Springs Monty’ Tam”
― Keith Foskett, The Last Englishman

“some 2,200ft up, and two miles distant. As if that weren’t enough, Seana Bhraigh and Meall Glac an Ruighe tore into the sky, attempting to upstage Gleann a’ Chadha Dheirg itself. It appeared the sky wanted in on the action too. The clouds had merged into one huge mass which sported virtually every possible variation of black, white and grey. It rippled and undulated as though alive, breathing, and then, as if I couldn’t take any more, the sun appeared again. Through the tiniest break in this veil high above, chinks of light streamed through, flashes raced down to meet me as I appreciated their warmth. The Highlands came alive, light and shadow danced over the lowlands and tore up the mountains. Dark then light, in shadow then illumination, it was the ultimate cinematic experience, and I was the only one there to bear witness. I sat there, open-mouthed for an hour. No-one shared my corner, nobody experienced what I had seen. It was all mine.”
― Keith Foskett, High and Low: How I Hiked Away From Depression Across Scotland

“The apprehension you felt making such a big decision suddenly seems insignificant, and your goal appears clear and lucid. Make the choice, and everything falls into place.”
― Keith Foskett, The Last Englishman

“the destination holds little significance, it’s the journey that matters.”
― Keith Foskett, High and Low: How I Hiked Away From Depression Across Scotland