As many of my friends know, I do a fair amount of hiking and wildcamping, and you may have even seen some of my posts about the walks I’ve done. It’s something that I personally get a huge amount of benefit from.
Some time ago now, I opened up a few of my trips for others to join me, with the purpose of sharing some of the benefits I experience from getting out amongst it.So far interest has been good, but unfortunately uptake has been very low.
It’s because of this that I wanted to share exactly what it is that I get from carrying 16kg up a hill, eating crap food, sleeping in a bag, and shitting in a hole that I’ve dug for myself.
So here goes…..The obvious ones.
First off it’s good exercise, walking for 15 to 20k carrying a load on your back requires you to push yourself, especially so if you’re going uphill. Physical exertion makes you feel good, which of course also means taking in lungfulls of fresh air and all the scents that come with it. Couple this with all of the sights and sounds that you begin to notice when you actually take the time to notice them, creates an internal mood of peace and harmony that just isn’t available anywhere else. Being in that moment in that place, and being much more aware of your place in it has an incredibly balancing effect.
Being out in a large landscape also offers you the valuable perspective of being only a small part of a much larger place, and equally, any of the troubles you carry with you are just as small, which in turn helps to take away some of the bloated importance we give them. The positive psychological effects and peace of mind offered by being in a large open space cannot be overstated.The not so obvious ones.
Being responsible for yourself, and possibly others, in an environment where help is usually a long way off makes you consider your actions much more carefully. You have to pay closer attention to what you’re doing and how you’re doing it, focussing your mind and forcing you to give consideration to everything you do. In short, encouraging self reliance and in turn the self confidence that brings.
However, despite the need for careful thought, the sense of freedom is almost intoxicating, especially if you’re not on any specific timescale or route. The ability to go where you like, when you like, knowing that all you have to do is find a patch of land big enough for your tent and you’ll be fine is incredibly liberating, and once you accept that fact you can really relax and let go of all the concerns that we carry with us like so much dead weight.
The ones you might not have thought of.
Basically, planning and equipping yourself for a trip into the hills and valleys is exactly the same as planning and equipping yourself for life. Where am I going? (12 month plan), how many days or stages (quarter plan), checkpoints/milestones (28 day plan). Every step along the way is just another day in your immediate vicinity (weekly plans) heading towards your goals. All of the obstacles on the walk that have to be navigated are no different to the obstacles we face when planning our lives. We have to know where we’re going and how we’re going to get there, overcoming often unseen challenges along the way to get to our goal.
Often we’ll have to alter course, or change plans according to new information or circumstances, or simply for no other reason than you just want to. And when you do, you adjust your plans/routes accordingly, taking into account the new obstacles and challenges, then simply head off in that direction.
When it rains it rains. You can either find shelter and hunker down, or put your waterproofs on and get on with it. Both are acceptable.Sometimes you need to take an unscheduled break, just to get your breath back, and sometimes you just need or want to push on through to reach your destination.
The equipment you take will depend on your particular journey and what you’ll need along the way, plus a few other items just in case.
Your Structures, Routines, and Systems (SRS) that we have are this equipment, how you pack it, and how you use it when it’s required. Essential when setting up or striking camp, feeding yourself, and general camp admin. With organised kit kept in good order (your SRS) you can do anything, go anywhere. Without it you’ll be stumbling around in disarray potentially putting yourself in danger, but at the very least it will be much more of a struggle both in camp and while travelling, as it is in life.
And just like life, consistent application of solid SRS practices has huge benefits. This in itself promotes self confidence and the feeling of self worth. In terms of literally everything we do in life, it’s huge.The list of parallels between hiking/camping and life in general is immense, these are just a few of the key points, and I could quite literally go on all day about it going into more detail about every single aspect and how it all relates to everything we try to achieve in life.
But I won’t, I think I’ve run on quite enough.
As an old hiking campaigner I’ve known about these benefits for many years, but it wasn’t until about 18 months ago that I made the obvious link between what we do to improve our lives in terms of having a structured existence, and the benefits of competently heading out for a few days on your own. It’s an obvious link when you actually think about it, but one I had never made until then.
However, once I did make the connection, I started to relate to this activity in a way I hadn’t before, using it to become more structured in my life, strengthening my SRS, and becoming 100% consistent with my actions ever since. This in turn has improved my life beyond measure. Imagine being 100% consistent for 18 months, I feel like I’ve won the golden ticket to the chocolate factory.
And that’s why I wrote this, I want to encourage everyone to seek the same benefits I have. But here’s the kicker. This isn’t something you can read about and gain all the benefits from, you have to actually do it.
It’s a little like talking about driving, you can talk about it all you like but unless you sit in the driver’s seat and actually start driving you just don’t know.
You have to be in the environment looking at your destination and thinking to yourself “I just need to get to the next point”, that tree in the distance, that pile of rocks, or whatever it is, and then the next one, and the next, and so on, step by step until you reach your destination. You have to think about where you’re going, plan for it, and then execute the plan, allowing for changes and challenges along the way. But above all, above everything else, you have to actually do it.
You have to show up in life, as much as you do when going for a hike, and do what you said you were going to do. It all means nothing if you don’t.
My apologies for having rambled on for so long, and if you’ve made it this far then you must have nothing better to do with your time.