Thanks a lot, @aagent! This was a special topic for me so I am very happy you liked it :-)
I noticed that your shoes didn't look particuarly hiking friendly haha. Chucks?
Well spotted, hehe! I think back then I was able to get away with a lot more than my knee problems and perpetual aches allow me nowadays...
My god, your childhood sounds really intense. However, it is the kind of thing that one might resent as a kid but actually there are a lot of adults that only start developing these skills a lot later in life (and some never do!), so at least you had a head start.
Wow, I also wanted to be an archaeologist at some point but was also put off by the mostly trivial and unfulfilling work that it requires (the exciting work in the super amazing locations comprises a very small percentage of the actual work that needs to be done and it is mostly reserved already by the big names and those who have enough money like the person you mentioned).
Thanks a lot for taking the time to write such an interesting comment, I really enjoyed reading it. Cheers!