Six Benefits of Hiking: Why I’m Hiking the PCT This Year

1. Simplicity

The simplicity of life on the road is a relief from the daily grind that many of us experience. Through hiking you follow a beautiful routine that is in harmony with the natural world: wake up, walk, eat, sleep. This daily ritual slowly leads me toward a singular goal: the end of the path. Fewer distractions, fewer options, fewer belongings and a clear destination.

This extreme simplification of life allows me to develop a deep appreciation for the few (and necessary) items I carry with me. Normalities that would normally go unnoticed become luxuries that I look forward to. A shower, a pair of dry sleeping socks, and even that old crushed ramen at the bottom of my lunch bag bring me great gratitude after a long day.

The simple life gives me time and mental space that would otherwise be consumed by menial tasks and choices, leaving me present and ready to appreciate the world around me.

2. Brain cleansing

During the walk I feel like my brain is being rubbed with a brush. Imagine a chef kneeling, scrubbing the grout between kitchen floor tiles with a toothbrush. This is the level of deep cleansing I imagine happening to my brain during a hike. This little chef, hard at work scraping the dirt out of each and every wave.

It seems impossible to exist without unwanted external contributions. Attention is the new currency and we all (I know!) overspend with a negative ROI. There is so much passive absorption of social media content and ads placed in every corner. It’s hard to know what’s true, real, or even discern if an opinion is my own or if it’s appeared in my feed so many times that I’ve unknowingly adopted it as my own.

Spending time outdoors helps clear the fog of stimulation overload. Spending days, weeks or months living outdoors does more than lift the fog. It does a hard reset. The more I walk, the more my anxiety decreases. The cravings for screen time disappear and the opinions I hear are the chirps and chatter of passing wildlife. The world is finally quiet enough for me to hear my own thoughts.

The bathtub in our tent flooded, soaking all our belongings after a night of terror on a mountainside in the Scottish Highlands.

3. Tenacity

I have always been attracted to “type 2” forms of fun. The kind of fun where you have to suffer, and suffering is part of the fun. Backcountry hiking largely falls into this category.

I will probably face a list of repeated problems and challenges along the way. Some examples are:

• Flood in my store
• Running out of water in the desert
• Fleeing lightning on an exposed ridge,
• Or move a forest fire out of the way.

While those very real examples are less common and more extreme, the daily struggle on the road is the hardest of all. The effects of walking for days with blistered feet, unbearable heat, sore thighs, sore knees are compounded, and every time you stop to take a break, you are surrounded by an incomprehensible number of aggressive mosquitoes and flies biting you through your clothes. Finally, you set up your tent, exhausted, only to sleep poorly due to the atrocious snoring of a nearby caravan. This kind of everyday, unheroic strength builds an undeniably resilient foundation. With this foundation I can face the toughest days with a little more ease.

Doing difficult things repeatedly has been incredibly important in developing my self-confidence and tolerance for challenge. As calluses build up on my feet, my mind becomes metaphorically calloused and obstacles feel easier to overcome with practice. Thruhiking helps me develop a tenacity that carries over to life on and off the trail.

4. Community

As an introvert, a surprisingly favorable part of hiking has been fellow hikers and followers along the trail. I share food and laughter with people of diverse demographics. Hikers travel the length and breadth of these narrow dirt trails, sharing their culture and language. Repeatedly encountering the same faces along the trail creates a sense of familiarity and natural closeness. Sometimes a deep bond quickly forms and a trail family is born from strangers, laughing, grieving, sharing and caring for each other. We unite through the same simple goal of traveling a single path to the same destination, recognizing that each has embarked on his or her own personal pilgrimage.

The Trail Angels, people who provide help and kindness along the trail, have truly renewed my faith in humanity. I am always amazed by people who greet me with food, a trip to the city, and even their home without a doubt. Existence on the road contrasts sharply with the polarized depiction of our country. I hold close to this goodness that I have experienced and it reminds me every day to share that goodness with others whenever possible.

5. Boredom

I don’t think I’ve experienced true boredom since elementary school. Between endless mindless entertainment, on-call calls, and pressures to optimize productivity, I view boredom as a luxury. During a walk, I not only feel permission to be bored, but I make a conscious decision to seek it out. I keep my phone on airplane mode and rarely listen to audio entertainment as a distraction. I want to give my mind space to breathe, get bored, and allow thoughts to wander. I look forward to welcoming boredom into my life once again.

A full, bright rainbow shining through relentless storms on the Colorado Trail.

6. Positivity

I’ve always had a generally positive demeanor and outlook, but long-distance backpacking has solidified this mindset as a necessary life skill. Nothing will ruin your day more than your own mind. Since challenge and discomfort are inevitable along the way, wallowing in negativity only makes the experience worse. When the only way is to finish, accepting the discomfort and creating positivity in any way possible makes the difficult days seem much more manageable and changes the experience.

Why Thru-Hike Now?

Ultimately, there are countless benefits and reasons to embark on a hike. Often stealing our attention, they are even more excuses to convince us NOT to hike. Unfortunately, time is not on our side when it comes to the health, and even existence, of our National Scenic Trails. Climate change is rapidly bringing new barriers and challenges in the way of completing these trails. All while public lands are sold and privatized right under our noses. This year I decided that I don’t want to wait until it’s too late. There’s never a good time to put your life on pause, so I might as well take the leap now while I can.