Why Women Over 50 Should Hike!

Hiking is Returning Home!

For some, hiking is a way to exercise, have alone time, or feel the closeness of nature; for others, it is about returning home. Obviously, hiking and the outdoors have meant many different things to many different people. It changes with the seasons, what’s going on in our lives, what age we are, whether we are married, single, parents, or grandparents. When we are young, it can feel like wildness and freedom, but as we get a bit older, it feels like a respite from the day-to-day business of life, work, and family. There are again more times where it is an escape from either what is going on in the world or what is going on in our own minds. The quiet and expanse of the earth lend themselves to giving us a break and a breather. It frequently feels like a sanctuary, a place to feel grounded and connected not only to nature and the earth, but for me, it is a home for my soul, a connection to the Creator. Where do you go when the world has taken your last shred of peace? Where might you go if it feels like the world and everyone in it won’t give you a break? I have a family that I didn’t grow up with that has always felt like home to me. This one is loud, messy, and playful, rather than staid and judgmental. But right now, in this moment, I am experiencing the return and healing of my childhood self. Being in nature, hiking on the beach, not with my family of origin, but with a stepmother and half siblings, is what my real home feels like. I was just able to spend 5 days with them in Puerto Rico, really for the first time, getting to know them, even though I turned 69 this year. So I was able to experience the comfortable feeling of home. Returning to a feeling of family after living in a small nuclear group that I have created on my own has brought me to places in my soul that I had thought I had lost or had forgotten about. Now, when I am on the trail or walking along the beach, I know I am right where I need to be at the exact right time, remembering the comfort and closeness of home.