I'll bite, valygrl. I'm not a big wall climber (although I alpine climb), but I appreciate the connections you've made between big wall and touring. I do other long haul activities that are in the same vein--backcountry ski touring, backpacking, and llama packing. They're all kind of the same thing for me as bike touring--take everything you need and go places people can't go unless they're doing likewise. Bike touring is a little different since I tend to stick to roads and well-travelled routes, so I'm not really going anyplace remote. The experience *feels* remote, though. When I do any of these activities half the journey is where I'm going, but the other half of the journey is where I go inside of myself. That's the remote destination for me. I tour, I ski, and I hike--all to get away from the normal trapping of life and get in touch with a deeper part of myself. This sustains me for a month or two, and then I have to go out and find it again.