Reflections: What IS hiking?

As part of my 52 Hike Challenge Adventure Series, I have to do two reflection hikes. I should have done the first one some time ago, but better now than never.

While deciding where to hike on Monday, I was browsing the All Trails app to see if I could find a short hike that I hadn’t done before. I came across a hike called “Glassy Mt. Road to Fire Tower.” Being the lover of old towers that I am, I clicked on it to read the description and reviews. The hike had a high rating, but one of the more recent reviews said that it “wasn’t really a hike” since the entire trek is on a forest service road rather than a wooded path.  This particular hiker didn’t think walks on a road were his cup of tea when it came to hiking. The trailhead was about a 45 minute drive and the hike was less than two miles long, which was exactly what I was looking for. I decided to go for it, and while driving to the trailhead I began to ponder what exactly hiking is. I decided this would be an appropriate topic for my reflection hike, so I want to discuss what hiking is and what it does for me. 

How do we define hiking?

If you ask Google what hiking is, the response is the dictionary definition:

This definition leaves me feeling unsatisfied. First of all, what is a long distance? To me, two miles isn’t a long distance but maybe for you it is. It’s subjective. And what is through the woods? This hike on a FS road was through the woods, it was just on a more established path than your typical trail. I dug a little deeper.

Differencebetween.net claims that the difference between hiking and walking is elevation change. Huh. I don’t like this definition either. You can certainly hike through the woods for a long distance without much elevation change. Hiking isn’t synonymous with mountains. Other sources claim that hikers gravitate toward natural environments and surfaces whereas recreational walkers will walk on any surface, but to me this seems trivial.

During my hike I reflected on what I would say if someone asked me to define hiking. To me, hiking happens when you are aware of and immersed in the natural environment around you. Whether this occurs in the dense backcountry or on a city sidewalk is irrelevant, as are what clothes you are wearing or how many vertical feet you gain or lose. I think a walk through Central Park could be a hike if the person takes time to notice and ponder the wildlife, plant life, and natural beauty around them. Maybe take notice of a bird singing in a tree or a flower pushing up through the sidewalk. When I hike, even though sometimes I’ll listen to music or a podcast, I always make a conscious effort to be aware of the world around me. The earthy smell of the soil, the soft crunch of leaves beneath my feet, the orchestra of buzzing caused by thousands of insects being busy at once, the creak of a tree swaying in the wind, and the soft caress of that same breeze as it breaks through the leaves and brushes across my skin.

What is hiking, to me?

Hiking is more than just walking in the woods. I don’t think most people who participate in hiking as a hobby do so for the sole purpose of exercise – you can get exercise by walking the block around your home. It differs from recreational walking in this way, since most walkers I believe are doing it primarily for exercise. Hiking is spending time alone with your thoughts. It’s pushing yourself that extra mile beyond your comfort zone. It’s setting out to see the summit even though you know it’s going to be difficult. It’s taking the steep side trail to an incredible view. It’s choosing to go even if it’s raining, or snowing, or you’re sick or tired. It’s therapy, both physical and emotional. It’s realizing that you exist as a small part of a vast, beautiful world. It’s a community and a family of like-minded people.

Hiking saved me. It rescued me from a sedentary life of boredom. Before picking up hiking as a hobby, I never realized how disconnected I was with my own soul. I spent several years going through the motions of the seemingly perfect life I had, all the while feeling very little emotion (neither joy nor sadness), and not having very much fun doing it. Its totally bizarre that I didn’t even know that I was bored and unhappy with the life I was living. Hiking gave me a connection with my inner self that I’ve never found before and made me aware of how little feeling was present in my life. It gave me something to look forward to, something to strive for, something to learn about.

I remember distinctly the first few solo hikes I ever went on. Not backpacking trips, just short day hikes. These hikes laid the foundation for what has become a passion – for the first time that I could remember, I felt alive and vibrant and rejuvenated. Hiking gave me confidence and bravery, because time after time I proved that I could get to the top of that mountain; my body would take me there. I proved to myself that I could go alone and I would be ok. The courage and self-awareness that I developed while becoming a hiker bled over into my everyday life. Suddenly I knew that it was OK to change my career path if my job left me unfulfilled. It was OK to walk away from that relationship if it made me unhappy, because I would be fine on my own. It was also OK to take what most may see as the hard road: selling my home and business to work service industry jobs and live in a camper – because the greatest rewards always follow the hardest climbs.

To this day, even with upwards of 2000 miles hiked (over the last 4 years), every. single. hike. is difficult. I frequently find myself climbing upwards toward a distant peak, surrounded by dense deciduous forest, dodging rocks and roots and hauling my fat body up and over boulders while thinking, “why on EARTH do I do this for fun? Couldn’t I have picked an easier hobby?” Then I get to the top and I find my answer.