Hiking

Recently Elisabeth and I took a trip to go hiking in Stowe, Vermont. Stowe is a bit of a special place for us. We’ve taken several trips there over the years. We always have good time in any season. Ironically, Stowe is greatly known for its skiing and mountain biking- two sports we do not partake in. However, where there is skiing and mountain biking, there is usually hiking.

​Hiking is one of our favorite activities. Whether we are at home or traveling, we try to hike often. We don’t even mind some bad weather as you may have seen in my Instagram post.


Living in Maine, hiking is a necessity for us. Again, we don’t ski. Nor do we sail. Maine has so much beauty, one has to be out in it. We choose to do so via hiking.


Fortunately, we’ve also been able to travel quite a bit. We like to hike when we travel because it gives us great opportunities to see our destination from another point of view. Often times, we see what locals get to do on their days off. Like us, they hike! It’s universally understood.


On our drive home from Stowe, we were reminiscing on some our our favorite hikes we’ve taken. Below are just a few of our favorites both near and far. (At the time of writing, all of our possessions are packed away in a POD on its way to Chicago, so we’ll have to make do with the photos on hand.) The hikes are in no particular order, but here are some of our favorites.

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​These are just a few of our favorites. Again, we’ve been lucky enough to travel quite bit and we’ve lived in Vacationland so this is our perspective. I can confidently say that no matter where you live, you can find your own hikes.


In fact, this may be why I’m drawn to hiking.


Those who know me well, know that I’m all about a level playing field when it comes to health and exercise. I support low barrier exercise as much as I can. Be it biking, hiking, walking, little league sports, work-club softball. I support any exercise that is available no matter your location, income, etc. . .


Hiking is a highly available form of exercise because of its little to no cost, but it’s also great because of its scalability. Hiking can be for beginners or advanced athletes. A 10-minute walk on the nature path at the city park can be a hike. Climbing Mount Everest can be a hike. There is no barrier that determines what is a hike or what is exercise. Everyone can take part in hiking. If you enjoy it, do it. Have open eyes and an open mind and I guarantee you, you’ll have some fun.


I touched on why I like to hike- I like to natural beauty, it’s affordable, I like the smell of pines, etc. . . but everyone is different. Here are some other reasons to enjoy hiking.


The Exercise- Hiking can be a great way to exercise many systems in your body. Your heart rate will elevate, your legs will work hard to propel your body, your ankles will make infinite micro adjustments to keep you upright, the list goes on and on. Exercise such as hiking can help with your strength, sleep, endurance, mood, etc. . . The simple act of hiking will make great changes to your body both in the short term and the long term. Everyone has heard of the “runner’s high”, well it’s not exclusive to running. Simply hiking can give you the short term euphoria supplied by your body’s endocrine system. In the long term, your heart, lunges, legs, and more will becomes stronger and more able.


The Mind- As mentioned previously, hiking (or most exercise) can improve your mood in the short term via the endocrine response from the body. Simply exercising can drastically improve your mood. To me though, the physiology is so two-dimensional. We also have to consider our mind and our heart (not the organ). Our mind is powerful and we need to take care of it. Being more mindful with the things we do is a great way to improve your mood and…well, mind. Odds are you’ve heard about Forest Bathing which has become popular in previous years. The premise is that one consciously takes in all the smells, sounds, and sights of the forest as if it were a meditation. The research done on forest bathing is quite neat. Just the simple decision to go for a walk for you mental health goes an incredibly long way.


The Social- Let’s be honest, hiking can be highly social too. It’s a great way to meet new people. It provides a forum for in-depth conversations with loved ones. Hiking is a universal way to make connections with other people. It’s been long known that having strong social circle is correlated with living a long and healthy life. Being social makes us healthier!  It’s like you get to double down on health if you’re socializing while exercising!


These are just my ramblings about why I like hiking. I hope that you do too. I believe it’s one of the best things we can do for our health. I hope that you can get out this weekend and take a hike, clear your mind, feel the “hiker’s high”, smell the nature, and feel good!