Why do we do dumb things?

I'm not quite sure why I wanted to go on a 14 hour hike, jump into sub-Arctic temperature water, shimmy down 100-foot rock drops, climb out of a canyon in the pitch black, get home at 3:30 a.m. and get up at 6:30 for work the next day, and not be able to walk for 3 days after...but the Subway hike in Zions is pretty dang cool. Note to self: Don't ever go in September again unless you have a wetsuit.

This is why they call it the Subway...pretty amazing how rocks do that.
So just as we got out of the slot canyon, we heard a thunderous noise, and we all sprinted for high ground. Luckily it was not a flash flood but what if there really would have been? I can't even imagine being stuck in that canyon and getting swept away by the freezing cold water.

This is where I fell last time while trying to rapell down that rock face and I hit the rock cliff wall on the left side of this picture. This time though, we all made it safely by shimmying down that little crack and then swimming across.
Can I just say my Gramps is amazing? What other 80-year-old man would brave this one? And then get up the next day and go on yet another hike. I hope I have his genes!

Anyway, back to my original question. I think I do dumb things sometimes to add a little excitement to my life. I get bored of being in the same old routine every single day. I think it's somewhat a form of "rebellion". I think I just didn't want to go to work that day, so I almost killed myself on this hike instead. Or how about the time when I chopped off my hair and got a really ugly haircut just because I needed a change. I think I let things go for too long until I get super frustrated with the mundaneness of my life so I feel like I have to do something drastic.

Note: I think I made this hike sound like a dreadful killer. It's an extremely awesome hike--my favorite in fact--and I'd recommend it to anyone in half-decent condition. We just had some unexpected setbacks that made it a bit more challenging.