Hiking is a bit like life, the journey only requires you to put one foot in front of the other... again and again and again. And if you allow yourself the opportunity to be present throughout the entirety of the journey, you will witness beauty every step of the way, not just at the summit.
All you need are a few friends, maybe a dog, some good music and good vibes, and I promise you that the hike may be tough, but there is no better feeling than completing one after all the pushing and pit stops to catch your breath. There is nothing like exploring the woods with no cell service to distract you from enjoying every step you take and everything around you. It's relaxing, eye opening and breathtaking (literally) but the views are too.
Nature, it's cheaper than therapy. Hiking is good medicine. Here's how:
1. Absence of synthetic noise.
You can close your eyes to block out the world’s ugliness, but you can’t close your ears. On a hike, all you hear is wind, birds, maybe some running water. In civilization, it’s all TVs, car horns and talk radios.
2. You’re part of something bigger.
When you walk into a forest, you’re immediately aware of what's happening around you. You lift a water bottle and see bugs crawling around where it used to be. As you get higher up in elevation you feel the air temperature change as you pass through the atmosphere’s layer. The meaning of life is more concrete on a trail, in ways it will never be while walking down Main Street.
3. Hiking gives you space.
Physical space, of course, but more importantly the emotional and mental distance needed to momentarily place aside the pressures of balancing work, relationships, friendships, finances and health. I've come to important realizations about myself and my life while wandering the woods.
4. Hiking fosters relationships.
Hiking with an important someone allows you to check in with them on a deeper level and be a more supportive friend/partner/sibling/human. This special one-on-one time affords you the opportunity to be of service to those who are more important to you. After all, there's nothing like hours of winding paths to get the lowdown on how your hiking buddy is really feeling.
5. It's an escape.
It can be one of the best days of your life, a day during which you can live your life but not think about your life at all.
6. Raise your fitness.
It’s much easier to go to the gym, sure. You can do that hour walk on the treadmill, and that’s fantastic. No one can or should take that away, you’re doing great work. But what if you could get the same effect (or better) by being outside and hiking a mountain? You can inhale fresh air instead of the sweaty scent in the air at your gym. Your body is going to appreciate the fresh air, and you’ll ultimately feel more refreshed and accomplished after a long hike than you will after a run on a treadmill or elliptical.
7. Nature is not cruel.
Nature will never betray a confidence or run off with your best friend. Nature won’t cut in line, talk too loud on a cellphone, or fail to control its screaming children. Nature’s only job is to keep living things living.
8. There are no stupid things to fear.
Every fear on a hike is a reasonable response to a possible threat. In civilization, we can do everything right and still get screwed, which poisons our brains with a thousand “what-ifs.” In the wilderness, you prepare for threats and address them when they arise, and you never have to take on more risk than you can handle. You can always turn back on a hike.
9. It’s constantly changing.
Unlike working out at the gym or jogging around the neighborhood, hikes allow you to explore new scenery, terrain, altitudes, and plant and animal life all the time.
10. It gets you off your phone and other technology for a few hours.
Our generation is so dependednt on technology. People are always texting, snapchatting, calling, tweeting and whatever else technology has to offer. When out hiking, you will have more interest on what's going on around you, the views even before you get to the top, than what's on your phone screen. Plus most hiking trails don't have cell service so you're basically forced to put it away for a little bit. It makes you realize the beauty of walking a trail and not almost walking into a pole or tree because you're not looking down at your phone.
