Five Mental Benefits of Hiking

After you’ve been hiking and come home exhausted, have you also noticed you feel good? This is because hiking in nature is good for your mind and emotions. You also get an excellent physical workout too, so that’s a bonus. The benefits of hiking and being in nature are so great that some doctors are now prescribing it to their patients.

Reduce Stress, Anxiety, Depression

Spending time in nature has been shown to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, and increase feelings of physical well-being. This isn’t just the opinion of your crazy, tree-hugging friends. A study in 2018 showed that “…walking through forest areas decreased the negative moods of “depression-dejection”, “tension-anxiety”, “anger-hostility”, “fatigue”, and “confusion” and improved the participants’ positive mood of “vigor” compared with walking through city areas.” Got that? Hiking in nature is better than walking through town. Find some trees to walk amongst.

Be More Creative

Want to be more creative? Then take a hike. Hiking in nature removes us from the information-dense, high-impact, 5-second attention span world many of us live in. A peer-reviewed study in 2012 found that “…the corresponding disconnection from multi-media and technology, increases performance on a creativity, problem-solving task by a full 50% in a group of naive hikers.” That’s naïve hikers, newbies. If you’re a regular hiker you’re already operating at a higher level of creativity than your non-hiking co-workers.

Stay Sharp as You Age

Worried about losing your mental edge as you age? Hiking can help your brain stay sharp and functioning as you age according to the American Academy of Neurology. In their 2018 study, they found that physical exercise was associated, “with improved cognitive performance in older adults with and without cognitive impairment.” A study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found, “Aerobic exercise increases hippocampal volume in older women with probable mild cognitive impairment.” I’m 59 and plan on hiking until I drop.

Stay Sane

Hiking can help save you from mental illness. That’s a bold statement, but there is data to show it’s true. A study in 2015 showed that “Participants who went on a 90-min walk through a natural environment reported lower levels of rumination and showed reduced neural activity in an area of the brain linked to risk for mental illness compared with those who walked through an urban environment.” The opportunity to relax our minds, and just enjoy the natural world is something we don’t get to experience a lot in our modern world.

ADHD

When I was a kid, I was called fidgety and unruly so my parents would kick me outside and tell me to go play in the forest near where we lived. Turns out they were helping me with my undiagnosed ADHD. In a study published in 2004 by the National Library of Medicine, it was found that “Green outdoor settings appear to reduce ADHD symptoms in children across a wide range of individual, residential, and case characteristics.” Seems our parents and grandparents knew where we needed to be.In nature.

What do “hike”, “backpacking”, and “camping” etc., mean?

Ever had a conversation with someone and realized you’re both using the same word, but defining it differently? This has happened to me a few times when talking about hiking, backpacking, and camping. This blog post isn’t going to be the definitive definition for those words, in fact, it might cause a few arguments, but here goes anyway.

Hiking

The word "hike" is believed to have originated from the Old English word "hican," which means "to walk" or "to move quickly." It is thought to be related to the Old Norse word "hikja," which has the same meaning.

The word "hike" first appeared in the English language in the early 16th century, and it was originally used to refer to a quick, energetic walk. Over time, the meaning of the word "hike" has evolved to refer to a long walk or journey, particularly one taken in a natural setting such as the countryside or mountains.

Today, the word "hike" is commonly used to refer to a long, leisurely walk or trek, often undertaken for enjoyment or exercise. For some, if the trail is under a mile and there’s little elevation gain, it’s a ‘nature walk’ and not a hike. For others, any stroll in nature counts as a hike. So, there’s some subjectivity to the word. Going a little further into the rabbit hole of definitions, some folks will use the word 'hike' to mean any trek that includes an overnight stay, and 'day hike' for those trekking adventures where you return home at the end of the day.

Backpacking

The word "backpacking" is a combination of the words "back" and "packing," which literally means "carrying a pack on the back." This term originated in the early 20th century, and it was first used to refer to the act of carrying a pack on one's back while hiking or traveling.

The use of the word "backpacking" to refer specifically to outdoor activities such as hiking and camping, is believed to have originated in the United States in the 1960s. At this time, the term was used to refer to a style of outdoor recreation that involved carrying a backpack and camping in the wilderness for extended periods of time.

Today, the word "backpacking" is commonly used to refer to outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, and traveling, in which the participants carry all of their equipment and supplies in a backpack.

Again, there’s some subjectivity here. Many of us call any walk in nature where you return that day, a hike or day hike. If you spend at least one night out, you were backpacking. And there's the definition of 'hiker' as opposed to 'backpacker'. A backpacker spends at least one night out in nature, a hiker returns to the trailhead at the end of the day.

Camping

The word "camping" is derived from the Old French word "camp," which means "field" or "open space." The word "camp" originated from the Latin word "campus," which means "field" or "open land."

The use of the word "camping" to refer specifically to outdoor activities such as hiking and camping is believed to have originated in the United States in the late 19th century. At this time, the term was used to refer to the act of setting up a temporary shelter or dwelling in a natural setting, such as a field or forest.

Today, the word "camping" is commonly used to refer to outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, and traveling, in which the participants set up a temporary shelter and spend time in a natural setting. It is also used to refer to the act of staying in a campground or other type of outdoor accommodation.

Here’s where things get interesting. There’s car camping, where you drive to the location and set up your tent/hammock/lean-to within a few yards of your car. Going a step further you have camping where you stay in a pre-built structure. Leaving civilization behind, there’s backpack camping where you carry everything and set up a shelter you bring with you for the night. Finally, there’s bushwhacking where you build a shelter using the materials found in the environment you’re in.

I don’t think it matters too much what we call our outdoor adventures. A rose would still smell as sweet by any other name and nature will still be grand regardless of how we experience it.

Ultra-Light - Not Always the Best Strategy

Now don’t get me wrong, putting thought into how you can reduce your pack weight is a good thing to do. Having said that, I’m of the opinion that you can go too far.

Ultra-light backpacking, carrying minimal gear and supplies in an effort to reduce weight, can be a useful strategy for certain types of trips and activities. However, it's not always a good idea, and there are some potential drawbacks and risks associated with this approach

One of the main drawbacks of ultra-light backpacking is that it can limit your ability to cope with unexpected situations or emergencies. By carrying minimal gear and supplies, you may not have the resources or equipment needed to deal with unforeseen circumstances, such as bad weather, injuries, or equipment failures. This is especially true in the wintertime and shoulder seasons up in the mountains. Fast-changing weather, colder temperatures, wind, downed trees, etc., can all create situations where more durable, but heavier, gear is needed.

For example, if you are caught in a severe storm while ultra-light backpacking, you may not have the necessary gear to stay warm and dry, and this could put you at risk of hypothermia or other health problems. Similarly, if you are injured or become ill while ultra-light backpacking, you may not have the supplies or equipment needed to provide first-aid or seek help.

Another potential drawback of ultra-light backpacking is that it can reduce your enjoyment and comfort on the trail. By carrying minimal gear, you may have to sacrifice certain amenities or comforts that can make your trip more enjoyable, such as a comfortable sleeping pad, a stove to cook with, or a shelter to protect you from the elements.

For example, if you are ultra-light backpacking and are forced to sleep on the ground, you may not have the necessary gear to create a comfortable sleeping surface, and this could lead to a restless and uncomfortable night. Similarly, if you are ultra-light backpacking and are unable to cook your own meals, you may have to rely on trail mixes and other minimal food options, which can be less satisfying and enjoyable than a hot meal.

Overall, while ultra-light backpacking can be a useful strategy in some situations, there remain many situations where ultra-light is the wrong strategy.