Senses on Full

Writing about the trek at the Visitor’s Center reminded me of something that has caught my attention before.  Whenever I’ve engaged in some strenuous activity, my senses seem enhanced for a while.  I don’t mean like Wolverine, hearing a fly buzzing three miles away, but it is noticeable.  For example, there was a gym next to the dorms that I would visit a couple times a week.  If I had a good session, I would come back to the kitchen and everything would smell more distinct.  Any unwashed dishes would smell much more foul, and likewise anything tasty in the fridge would be even more appealing.

How does this relate to the hike in Denali?  As I said, I got completely exhausted and went to the center to rest and listen to music.  Sure enough, the whole music listening experience was enhanced.  I was hearing instrumental riffs and trills that I had simply never picked up on before; it was like listening to the director’s cut of a song.  Now I would have thought it had something to do with the exhaustion thing, being close to sleep making your brain act funny or whatever, but for the increased sense after any kind of major exertion.  The human body is very interesting, no?  Has anyone else experienced something similar?