Hiking as social therapy.

As we get older, we have been told that we should be careful and only do the safest things that might avoid injury. Well, guess what? I believe that is one of the most untrue ideas that we have been told. Just because we are aging doesn’t decrease our desire for adventure and challenge; in fact, for me, it has had the opposite effect. Being outdoors, pushing our bodies to climb a hill or mountain, trekking around the side of a mountain, carrying a small or heavy pack—all those things empower me, not make me feel less than.  Really at any age, when you do something you weren’t sure you would be able to do, it creates the reality that if you choose to draw outside the box, you may be surprised at what you create. I waited to really start hiking till I was 60—my 60th birthday, to be exact. I did some hikes before then, but the really exciting adventure was when I brought my husband to Spain, and we hiked the 500-mile Camino de Santiago. There were steep inclines, slippery slopes, and very difficult days. But each day we felt like we were hiking on a postcard. I never had the desire to stop, quit, or get in a vehicle; even when I found out there were people at home betting, I wouldn’t last 2 weeks. Guess what? Even with an injured toe and having to walk in Teva sandals instead of hiking boots, I made the whole trip. feeling empowered.  At that point, nothing would have stopped my determination. I lost some weight and went down about a size in pants. When we got home, instead of being the last person on a hike, I was easily the first to blaze the trails. We faced the fear of the unknown each and every day, and even though we had a map, the terrain always surprised us. Some days we walked alone and were very quiet; other days we met new people, ate dinner, played music, sang songs, and became lifelong friends. We shared our innermost feelings about life and this hiking thing as we walked. Now we may be staying closer to home and hiking the 700 miles of trails we have out our back door. We still go alone or in a group, and it always allows us the opportunity to unpack what’s been going on in our lives in a healthy and beautiful environment. We have developed so many friendships on the trail that it just seems to pull out of us the important things about life and matters of the heart. All those hours and miles of walking beside one another bring out the most amazing conversation. You might call it trail therapy. I usually hike because I love to see the beauty in the outdoors, the change of seasons, and hear the sound of the hawks and eagles as they are hunting overhead. Beauty lies not only in nature, but when we hike beside another human, we may find that the beauty of companionship feeds our souls even more.

Take the plunge no matter what your age, go by yourself, or walk with the intention of finding a kindred soul on your way.