Hiking Philosophy: Keep Hiking

Keep hiking; one step at a time. There is no right or wrong hiking philosophy. One’s own personal hiking philosophy is simply who we are and why we hike. Comparing your personal hiking philosophy to someone else’s style is apples to oranges. Some people hike for vistas, some for accomplishment, some for camaraderie, some for solitude, some to appreciate nature, and some just for the physical effort itself. I hike for all of those reasons. I can experience all of these during a short walk in the woods or on a day hike. Intensity and clarity increase the longer I stay on-trail, like an overnight backpacking trip or an extended section hike over several days. The more you hike, the more you discover your own reasons for hiking. Shaping your hiking philosophy will likely be a work in progress. Goals change, new goals emerge, goals are achieved. It is not always necessary to articulate one’s personal hiking philosophy. However, if you hike a lot or have something like completing a long distance trail as a goal, it is worthwhile to think intentionally about why we hike.

My Goal – Complete the Appalachian Trail

I first learned about the concept of long-distance backpacking as a teenager in 1974 or 1975 after reading Colin Fletcher’s formative book, “The New Complete Walker.” While Fletcher’s book planted the desire to hike a long-distance trail, it was not until 2005 that an Appalachian Trail hike became an actual, albeit far-distant, goal in my mind for the first time. Retired from the Army in 2012 and settled back in the United States in our forever home on the Chesapeake Bay, the idea of hiking the Appalachian Trail in its entirety moved from an idea buried in my consciousness to my daily thoughts. Of course, 50 years after Colin Fletcher’s “New Complete Walker,” we have the internet to guide potential AT hikers instead of one seminal book. The blogs and trail journals of past and present thru and section hikers are invaluable both as planning tools and as inspiration to somehow make the idea a reality. And there is YouTube to live vicariously through those hikers that have documented their hikes through video. I started reading thru hiker trail journals, watching videos, and researching the AT online. I did not know when, how, or even understand yet why, but I knew I wanted to complete the Appalachian Trail. In 2019, I started piecing together the trail a few small chunks at a time, and have completed a little more than 200 miles from the southern end of Shenandoah National Park, VA to Boiling Springs, PA. I am an AT section hiker.

Hiking is Therapy

For me, like many others I am sure, hiking is therapy. Physical activity, mental focus, and sense of accomplishment are all positive influences on mental health. Journaling also is well-regarded for its positive influence on mental health. Journaling on this website and blogging my AT section hike for The Trek are my way of thinking intentionally about why I hike. And ultimately finding release from stress and achieving peace of mind.