So you like hiking?

I want to talk a little about hiking. Because it is my absolute favourite hobby. Added bonus, it goes very well with photography, which is another hobby I am working to improve. 

Hiking brings me joy. Plain and simple. Honestly, solo hiking is probably my most natural fit, although I have had some incredible experiences with other people (and it's safer in bear country). 

I'm a competitive person by nature. I want to excel at the things I love, yet I often love things that are not in my natural wheelhouse. So I often feel like I'm failing. Like I'm struggling, disappointing myself, like I'm losing. And sometimes that happens in outdoor activities. People get obsessed with hiking faster, harder, higher. Peak-bagging, racing up the mountain, all of that. And that is fine if that's your jam. But it doesn't work for me. I love hiking partly because it is outside the endlessly competitive grind of capitalism. It is ok to go slow and enjoy the journey. To literally smell the flowers and trees around you. To stop and take in the beauty, to get the perfect shot, to find a perfect snack spot. There is also definitely the sense of accomplishment when you get up a tricky section and see vast, beautiful views.

But the competition is with yourself. It is okay to just be. Not to have to win. It is enough just to get there. At least that is the mindset I want to be in. I love hiking alone, or with the right people. I want to exist inside that feeling. 

There is also something to be said for the mental benefits of physical activity. Somehow the need to only focus on putting one foot in front of the other can do wonders for my brain. It can bring clarity to a problem, or at least stop the obsessive circular thinking. And walking in the city just doesn't do that for me. Between the city smalls, the constant cat-calls, the crowds, my mind doesn't relax in the same way.  And I guess technically there is a lot of thinking when hiking too. Wildlife safety, terrain safety, route finding. But somehow it is different for me.

I thought I would be more competitive in my hiking, but I have learned that sometimes I like repeating a hike. Or doing something that I know I can do reasonably easily. Sometimes a hard grind up a mountain is extra special, but sometimes a long forest hike can be just what I needed.

I actually dislike being asked to recommend hikes. For the same reason I hate recommending books, music, or movies. Sometimes when you love a thing so much, it is too personal to suggest it to someone else. Like if they don't love it the same way, it feels like maybe they don't understand a part of me. Like it's too entangled with who I am to have any objective sense if anyone else will love it too.

That said, I have been toying with the idea of doing some recaps of some of my favourite hikes (with pictures and my personal opinions). I suppose hiking blogs are a dime a dozen, but I like the idea. Some motivation to get outside my head and try to open up a little bit more. Because I have had some incredibly beautiful experiences over the past few years. And who knows, maybe it could be fun to share some of it.