From crossing the Grand Canyon on a Rim to Rim hike to summiting Half Dome in Yosemite to circumventing the Mont Blanc Massif in Europe, there are a dizzying number of spectacular treks to choose from. And you can pick your flavor: do you like summiting peaks, exploring canyons, thru-hiking sections of long trails like the Appalachian Trail or Continental Divide Trail , discovering cultural sites, embarking on coastal hikes, or something else?
It brings a feeling of aliveness and awareness that sharpens our senses and helps put life in perspective. Regular day hiking can do wonders for your mental, emotional, and physical well being. Backcountry hiking trips, as a next step, offer deeply meaningful, extended retreats into nature. Being out for days at a time has a cumulative effect that exponentially increases the benefits of hiking and being in nature.
The hiking is over for the day. The hike took you over a mountain pass with views of towering, jagged peaks; along pristine rivers and creeks; and through beautiful forests and open meadows.
You watched a rainbow trout treading the current in a remote mountain stream. From the mountain pass, you saw a herd of elk grazing in a river valley far below. And eagles — you saw three eagles riding the wind currents, scanning for rodents. Your temporary home is established in the middle of a vast wilderness, several days hiking from the nearest road. Dinner has be cleaned up and the sun is setting. The soft murmur of a breeze in the trees and the faded roar of a distant river are the only sounds.
No cars. No horns. No sirens. Stars begin to freckle the blue-black sky as the twilight fades. You can feel this experience is part of our collective human memory. After a little while, you stand up and walk away from the campfire to stretch your legs, which are sore from days of hiking.
The silhouettes of the trees are flashing in the strobing light from the flames. Walking a bit farther, the firelight fades, and you spot a break in the forest canopy. The sky is now jet black with millions of stars splattered across it like glitter. The Milky Way is swirling across space, a tornado of stars , lightyears away.
When we open ourselves up to receive what nature has to offer, we find that there are many nuggets of wisdom available. Going on a hike gives us the opportunity to recognize this advice and use it in our own lives. It was during an unsettled time in his life that he leaned against a century old Cottonwood tree and asked it for advice.
Through that experience, Ilan realized guidance was all around him. We go into nature to seek something, and often end up finding our own true nature. Hiking provides us with a peaceful escape. It takes us away from the high rises, traffic, and constant encroachment of technology civilization as we know it into a serene wildness.
Maybe if we all went hiking a little more, we could impart the good we find in the wild into the culture we live in. All of us have to do our part, and be active in protecting the places that provide this important refuge.
Find trails near you and participate in preserving their existence. Take yourself, your friends, your family, your pet, and anyone else on a hike. Help people become more mindful of the future of our wildernesses and encourage action. Slippery dirt, overhanging branches and hidden obstacles, trail markers, and wild animals crossing your path—all of the things you might encounter on a trail require micro- and macro-adjustments to your route, which is good for your brain.
As Daniel Levitin explains in his book, Successful Aging , hiking exercises the part of your brain designed to help you navigate through life—for example, the restrosplenial cortex and the hippocampus, which aids in memory, too—which is why hiking not only helps your heart, but helps your mind stay sharp, as well.
Exercise in general can be a great stress-buster. While other physical activities also rely on nature—for example, river rafting or backpacking—those often require more time and commitment than a simple hike and are less accessible to many people.
Hiking can happen almost anywhere—from a city park or public garden to a mountain trail—and give you that dose of nature you need to stay happy. Research is quite clear on the benefits of being in nature while exercising. Being in nature is calming, too, and studies have found that people who spend time walking in nature are less anxious and suffer less rumination thinking about the same worries or regrets over and over again , which should help protect against depression.
Awe is a powerful emotion that has many benefits , including improving your mood and making you feel more generous. It may be obvious that hiking is good for our physical and emotional health. But there is mounting evidence that it helps our relationships, too. Your one wrapper or water bottle might not make a huge difference, but if everyone leaves their trash it could destroy the landscape and pose grave risks to the wildlife that call the area home.
Please do not litter! And some people will plan a day-long hike with the intent to roast marshmallows or stay warm. Wildfires are no joke, and even when you think you have everything under control you have no idea how quickly a wildfire can develop.
Protect Wildlife: Whenever you are out on a hike it is important to remember that the surrounding area is home to a number of creatures big and small, from squirrels and chipmunks to deer and coyotes.
This is their home above all, and you are a visitor.
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