Thinking About Hiking?

If the scene in this picture looks familiar, you probably understand what it means to work in an office. The boredom, the monotony, the speaker-phone conference calls that your earbuds can’t quite drown out. The cruel slideshow of amazing places you’ll never go that Windows uses for its default desktop background. Being in nature is the best antidote I’ve found for the corrosive effects of modern existence. The diversity of life and the struggle for survival instill a sense of purpose at once much simpler and more profound than any “job” I’ve ever had. The wilderness offers a glimpse into the world from which our ancestors evolved and emerged. Immersing oneself in that world harmonizes the sometimes disparate psychological, emotional, and physical elements of who we are. It gives a sense of identity and belonging.

Despite the irrefutable benefits of wild places, they are becoming more scarce. They are under assault on virtually every front. It’s easy to forget about these places when they aren’t part of our everyday experience. So do yourself a favor and go outside and find the nature that’s around you wherever you live.

Find the nearby parks and go see what types of plants are growing there, what animals are living there. What do they eat, what are their habits, how are they affected by their human neighbors? How are the various species you find interdependent? How do they fit into the greater ecosystem that we’re a part of too?

Much of modern civilization has endeavored to insulate us from nature. But to do so is to insulate us from our own identities. Hiking through nature is the best way I know to reclaim that identity and to connect to a world that’s as much a part of us as we are of it.