Hiking as a way of meditation

I consider myself a long-distance hiker. I thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail and have hiked over 1500 miles in the Upper Midwest. Like most people who enjoy hiking, I do it to get out in nature, and often spend weekends hitting state parks and forests within driving distance from home. But as compared to long-distance hikes, I don’t often enjoy day hikes, especially long ones that eat up half a day or more. I’m not being an elitist here. I find day-hiking to be psychologically exhausting.

Why?

Because with day hikes, or even with very short backpacking trips, the end is always in sight. Deliverance from the pains and discomforts of hiking in the wilderness is only a few short hours away. The car beckons you with its comfortable seats and air conditioning. A delicious meal awaits you, as does a nice, hot shower. You will soon rest quietly in your soft, dry bed in a dark, climate-controlled bedroom. In other words, day-hiking offers no real break from the trappings of civilization.

I enjoy point-to-point hiking, especially with miles in the triple digits. I advocate that it is a good test of preparedness, flexibility and mental fortitude. Most importantly, setting foot on a trail with no choice but to hike onward clears my mind like nothing else. I have no choice but to hike. I have nothing else to do but hike. Nothing to think about, nothing to plan. Just put one foot in front of the other and enjoy my surroundings regardless of the weather or any other less-than-ideal circumstances.

Meditation in its many forms means different things to different people. It can be a release from your usual mental chatter, or it can be an intense, focused awareness. It can be a grounding exploration of the physical sensations of your body, or it can be like a buoy in the sea of emotions that relentlessly ebb and flow within you. Whatever else it may be, meditation is a means to be fully in the present, and nothing draws us out of the present like planning, anticipating and living in the perpetual future.

Long-distance hiking blocks out the future because, by necessity, you must live in the present. There really is no point in planning for tomorrow because by virtue of hiking a trail, you’re doing just that with your feet and not your head. The wilderness is the ideal place to clear your mind and live in the present. Feel your breath, notice where your head goes. Pay attention to each sensation in your body with every step you take. Listen to the sounds around you and breathe in the sweet air. Where do your thoughts go? Who is on your mind and in your heart?

Don’t be deterred if it’s not as easy as I make it sound. Meditation isn’t a discipline you flip on and off. Rather, it’s like walking a tightrope from which you will inevitably fall off, again and again. The important part is to get back on. At the beginning of every hike and admittedly on the last day, this is especially hard for me. But like with anything that requires practice and patience, it gets easier the more you do it, and when all you have to do is live in the moment and enjoy the day, there’s no better place for it.

One last thing: Don’t forget to stop and appreciate the world around you. That is why you’re out there, right?