Post #2 - Why I Like to Hike Part 1

I’ve been thinking about why I like backpacking so much, and a lot of people ask me about why I like to do it. Let me try to explain.

If you don’t know, I like to go on long distance backpacking trips on the Appalachian Trail. The AT is approximately 2,175 miles long running from Springer Mountain in the north Georgia mountains to Katahdin in Maine. I’ve hiked about a quarter of it from Springer to a little way beyond Damascus, Virginia, at the very beginning of the Virginia section, and about halfway through the Virginia section to Harpers Ferry, which is very close to Washington D.C. The longest I’ve been out is 8 weeks.

My favorite section begins at the approach trail in Amicolola Falls State Park and ends at Blood Mountain about 40 miles north. The approach trail connects to the AT about 8 miles north at Springer Mountain, the official beginning of the trail. This is the section I’ll be doing again soon.
I’m planning a trip pretty soon. I’ll leave with a thirty-pound pack which includes a tent, a stove, some food, a sleeping bag, and little else. I’ll have everything I’ll need to survive for a few days right there with me. With the weather how it is and a perfectly comfortable house to live in, you may ask why I’m doing this.

The first and most important reason why I hike is the incredible patience it gives me. Walking for ten hours or so through a monotonous landscape gives me a zen-like focus. After awhile, every tree and mountain starts to look the same and each step feels like the last. However many miles I travel during the day seems unimportant when my surroundings are so stable. The travel begins to seem like an illusion. The paradox of moving forward but never seeming to get anywhere can be the biggest challenge of backpacking, but brings about the greatest rewards. It allows my mind to relax and soak up the nuances of a single experience. It’s quite a unique experience to be forced to focus on something so stable and not one you could ever have in civilization. There’s nothing in particular to grab my attention to take me out of the moment except for the occasional gust of wind or scampering animal, but none of these things are nearly as distracting as a ringing phone, an email, or a television commercial.

On the trail, I’m always just uncomfortable enough to have no choice but to be focused on what’s going on around me. This constant slight discomfort is a key part of the trail heightened consciousness experience. My aching legs and knees and exposure to the climate is a constant reminder of all the sensations of my body that I’m normally not particularly mindful of. Hiking is a great way to get out of my head and get away from all the garbled symbols and concepts that I spend the majority of the time thinking about at home. It’s a more natural and real way to live that’s good to experience once in awhile to clear out all of the garbage that accumulates in my head. It puts things in perspective.

All my defense mechanisms against boredom are disarmed when I know I have a few hours to a campsite and there’s no other option than to keep going. There’s no laptop to open or television to turn on. There’s not even a nice place to sit and have my mind wander freely for a few minutes. Hiking forces me to be conscious even when I would normally choose not to be which can result in superpowers of concentration after only a few days. I once met a guy who watched a spider build a web for a whole day. You never really know how you’re affected by your favorite distractions until you’re forced to deal without them. There’s a place beyond the frustration of boredom that’s difficult to get to. Getting into the hiking groove, where my mind is quiet and peaceful, has been one of the most powerful experiences of my life. Hiking is best when it’s walking meditation.

In short, through the consciousness forced upon me by trail conditions, I feel like I’m more authentically myself. When the modern complications of civilization are aside, there’s more time and attention for me.

That’s all for now. I’ll write more about why I like to hike in part 2 coming soon!