Does our hobby ever get you labelled as mentally ill, by normies?

They are so scared of the outdoors, especially at night, that some will attribute a fearlessness (as a result of mental illness) to anyone who braves it alone, for fun.

They are so boring and inhibited that the idea of someone waking during the night and deciding, spontaneously, to drive 5 hours to a trailhead or park is a telltale sign of a manic episode.

If you're interested in anything morbid like collecting skulls, taking photos of dead animals or visiting sites with macabre histories - they think you must be psychotic.

Don't even think about telling them that you enjoy exploring old mines and caves. It's sooo dark and scaaary in there - it must be the voices telling you to go inside, right?

I'm fucking sick of it.

I have a history of mental illness and so I can't tell anyone (doctors, family, friends) about what I do without concerning them or getting fucking sectioned. Little do they know that these are the things that keep me alive.