I hike because it gives me happiness, a kind of happiness that is complete; all at once it is immediate, enduring, ebullient, intensely fulfilling, and virtuous. For me, hiking is foremost an aesthetic experience because I seek trails that place me among lush and epic landscapes. There I am aware of my immersion in the presence of other life forces. Aspen, pine, succulents, bluebells, fireweed, gray jays, egrets, rocks, streams, oceans, and ice infuse my senses and seep into my thoughts. I am in wonder. Dynamic environments engender novel and unexpected experiences. It is a relief to feel my ego recede as these other kinds of lives and elements simultaneously invite a heightened awareness and comfort because I feel that I am part of this interconnected world too. Forests tend to make me feel closer to the ground, closer to the life source of roots. Yet, I nearly always plan hiking routes that invite excitement as they eventually reach vistas. Wide views of landscapes/skyscapes/seascapes are emotionally rewarding because unified expanses are revealing and humbling. It is satisfying and awe-inspiring to gain a summit and with it an understanding of how geographical features are connected and positioned. Experiencing vastness reminds me that my own life is small and so most of my worries are perhaps too small to matter even to myself. I am momentarily released from my responsibilities because I see with clear eyes that the world persists without me, and that the greatest pleasure of living is just to be witness to the miracle of the universe. Sufficient knowledge and preparation make hiking a relatively safe endeavor, so places can be taken in at my leisure while I bask their beauty. However, hiking also requires exertion. This demands physical and mental fortitude. Frequent shifts in temperature and steep slopes keep me grounded in my body. But this is a good kind of pain.

It is a pain that returns me to the present over and over no matter how much my human brain attempts to live in the future. It is a pain that is tolerated by cultivating mental endurance. This pain, then, is rewarded tenfold with increased physical strength and mental fortitude. Seriously. I have never been a “morning person,” but hiking has disciplined me to wake up before the sun and immediately do hard things – like soloing it through a dark forest, running city blocks, or beginning a full day of work by putting make-up on before I am prepared to look at my own reflection. This ability to endure, coupled with the pleasurable experience of moving through beauty, gives me lasting satisfaction and happy memories. It is also why I call hiking virtuous. I feel that I am a better person after each hike – physically, mentally, and spiritually. Aside from climate change, (see INSERT BLOG), the costs – hiking costs some money, consumes time and mental space – are very low compared with the reward. To hike through magnificent landscapes that contain predominately non-human life is to be given a profound prospective that is at the core of how I hope to feel when I leave this world one day: the prospective that despite everything, I know that the world is bursting with beauty and goodness. And, somehow, that fact makes me so happy I could peacefully die. 

Not every hike is as remarkable as I’ve just described. The logistics of planning hikes also stress me out. Nevertheless, I feel elation when I drive to trailheads in the dark or as the sun clears the horizon. I know there is a good possibility that I will experience wonder and bliss, and, my god, I feel alive.  

Oh yeah, I probably also like hiking because I have been socially conditioned to. Western civilization has produced the idea of a lone individual gaining strength and meaning from braving the wilderness and witnessing the sublime. In fact, I wrote an entire 162 page master’s thesis critiquing the wilderness! However, I also know that when experiences take my breath away, there is something beyond social conditioning at play. I felt the weight and space of the whole universe when I was alone in an alpine basin at 3 am.

So, I hike because it grounds me. It makes me appreciate being alive. I found a pursuit that brings me great joy, and recalling the feeling of hiking makes a lot of problems diminish. Although solo hiking has brought me my most profound experiences, I also LOVE hiking with others! Sharing hiking stoke can be its own kind of enlightened experience. I’ve found that people are honest, open, and at their best when they are hiking; their humanity is on full display, and so gleeful moments spill right out. Dogs are also the absolute best hiking companions and their happiness is infectious too.

Hiking has given me endurance, euphoria, confidence, and peace.

It also reinforces how wonderful it is to have a comfortable house in the city. A big couch, take-out food, and TV never feel so sweet as after a few taxing days in the woods.