Hiking manifesto
The trail will be the only place left
A friend of mine recently got me and some more friends into hiking on a regular basis
We are on that phase where we do it just for the sake of having a great time, connecting with nature and exercise.
Honestly, I hope we never leave this phase, hiking is mostly about this
Especially now in the European summer, it is cool to choose a different place to conquer every month
“Let’s reach that peak”
“Let’s see the sunrise there”
“Let’s explore that waterfall”
and so on…
Set up a tent to spend the night as well
It sounds cliche, but honestly giving your mind a rest from everyday life: from notifications, keyboards, your boss, your mentees, whatever…
I live in the city center from Monday to Friday and at the end of the week my mind feels like a pressure cooker, ready to explode, I need something to cope with it
Which is usually creating content, exercising and creating memories (hiking goes into these categories)
It’s transforming to just go away from the city and spend 24h+ in nature
Spiritual benefits: experiencing creation, connecting with it and practicing gratitude
Health benefits: Walking will contribute to fat adaptation with a proper whole food diet and lower insulin sensitivity. You will burn additional calories (mostly fat) since you will be zone 2 or below. Your leg muscles will greatly improve, as well as foot musculature and ligaments from stepping in irregular terrain. Sunlight will be present at all times.
Mental health benefits: Peace of mind and relationship strengthening. Also directly related with the exercise.
Practical tips for you:
Install an app to see trails and easy routes close to you (there are tons, just search one specific for wherever you are based)
Invite some friends to have a great time. Bring water and compact snacks.
Save a whole afternoon or more for this activity. This is unemployed stuff…
You can also go lone wolf (here, I like to share my location with someone of confidence, just in case)
Soon you will feel the call to go on more hikes, because we were made for that, it’s primal, our endurance capacity is of no other animal alongside our ability to walk in 2 legs.
You’ll get the cool shoes, try harder routs, or make full trips to hike, like the one I am doing in September to Madeira
Couldn’t be more excited for a hard walk in places untouched by man.
The core message of this post is: to go for a hike, even if it’s just every once in a while
It is what my buddies like to call a peak male experience
PS: I am really looking forward on levelling up my writing, doing my best. From now on I’ll try to focus more on quality rather than size.
In this pic I am “adrenaline high”, looking at 300 meter cliff (rough estimate) and understanding that I am not build like Marc-André Leclerc.
