"Existential Things"
Jürg Schaffhuser about his hikes
Jürg Schaffhuser on his wanderingsEvery year from the beginning to the end of October, Lucerne-based graphic artist Jürg Schaffhuser jumps off the running board of the pace of time. In the counter-world in which he lands, there is only one means of transportation: his own feet. Why is hiking your passion?
Jürg Schaffhuser: I've been hiking for 12 years and cover between 500 and 1000 kilometers a year. For me, hiking is a counterbalance to the pace of my advertising job, which I need for balance.
What do you get out of hiking apart from blisters on your feet?
Schaffhuser: The appeal of hiking is that you can think better while walking and that all your senses are open. It's only when I'm hiking that I realize what smelling or the texture of the ground means. Hiking makes me happy.
How did you fare on the trip to Spain?
Schaffhuser: What was fascinating about this project was the fact that I was together with a complete stranger day and night for a week. In an environment where you can't withdraw. Hiking is almost about existential things. As you are also pushed to your physical limits, you are constantly dependent on each other. After a week, you really have a friendly relationship with each other. When you're out and about together for longer, many things from your childhood come to mind. These memories are triggered by a smell you suddenly catch in your nose or a movement you make unexpectedly.
No one will come to your aid if you break a leg or a poisonous snake bites you.
Schaffhuser: The real danger I got into had to do with a lack of water. At the height of summer in the Cévennes, I really experienced two or three rather tricky situations because I didn't have enough water with me.
Are you a loner?
Schaffhuser: In life, I'm actually a team-oriented person. On hikes, I'm more of a loner.
Where will your next hike take you?
Schaffhuser: I'm planning a really big hike, but I don't want to say anything about it yet. You can't talk up plans of this kind, otherwise you might end up not actually carrying them out. Interview: Ernst Weber
Jürg Schaffhuser: I've been hiking for 12 years and cover between 500 and 1000 kilometers a year. For me, hiking is a counterbalance to the pace of my advertising job, which I need for balance.
What do you get out of hiking apart from blisters on your feet?
Schaffhuser: The appeal of hiking is that you can think better while walking and that all your senses are open. It's only when I'm hiking that I realize what smelling or the texture of the ground means. Hiking makes me happy.
How did you fare on the trip to Spain?
Schaffhuser: What was fascinating about this project was the fact that I was together with a complete stranger day and night for a week. In an environment where you can't withdraw. Hiking is almost about existential things. As you are also pushed to your physical limits, you are constantly dependent on each other. After a week, you really have a friendly relationship with each other. When you're out and about together for longer, many things from your childhood come to mind. These memories are triggered by a smell you suddenly catch in your nose or a movement you make unexpectedly.
No one will come to your aid if you break a leg or a poisonous snake bites you.
Schaffhuser: The real danger I got into had to do with a lack of water. At the height of summer in the Cévennes, I really experienced two or three rather tricky situations because I didn't have enough water with me.
Are you a loner?
Schaffhuser: In life, I'm actually a team-oriented person. On hikes, I'm more of a loner.
Where will your next hike take you?
Schaffhuser: I'm planning a really big hike, but I don't want to say anything about it yet. You can't talk up plans of this kind, otherwise you might end up not actually carrying them out. Interview: Ernst Weber
