There are many things I just love about hiking. Still, my passion for planning the next route as soon as I’m back home comes from a simple, yet addictive fact that keeps me yearning for more – the challenge of exploration.

I learned to love hiking some ten years ago when I was undergoing a major life transformation. My depression was successfully treated by pills, and I was ready to get through the day without spending endless hours staring at the ceiling. Still, it was not enough, I wasn’t living life to the fullest.

There was rarely any joy in what I was doing – until I hiked a beginners’ mountain route with friends.

The Best Things In Life Aren’t Easy

It took me a while to get ready for my next hike.

After the first, it was an enjoyable yet very painful experience for my muscles, every suggested route seemed too much for me to handle. Depression took a toll on my weight and my fitness level (not to mention my physical health), and the longest walks were the ones I took during shopping for necessities I couldn’t live without.

At the time, I was not feeling very comfortable going on hikes alone, so my first goal was to hike with my friends without asking for a break after a single mile.

The feeling of wanting to be able to endure something, just to meet my own goals and find enjoyment, was long forgotten, and its power took me by surprise. I suddenly found myself scheduling my neighborhood walks for every evening, and increasing the mileage each day.

This wasn’t easy. My body was aching, and from time to time, I felt so discouraged that I decided I’d rather stay in bed. Still, even I had to admit it – I was making progress.

Some two months later, we chose to walk the same route again. And yes, it still was hard, but not as much as I expected it to be.

But, all the joy it brought! The very fact that I could walk and breathe at the same time, and how walking did not prevent me from soaking in the beauty of nature, was in itself thrilling.

That was it. I needed no other motivation than to make myself able to endure the chosen trail. It felt like all other things in my life had fallen into the right place, like a jigsaw puzzle.

Some Paths Are More Challenging Than the Others

Hiking made me realize that each path we choose has its challenges, but that after all the obstacles, beauty follows.

We are not always prepared for the path we’re walking, so we shouldn’t always try to go alone, but we must learn to ask for and receive support. Sometimes a long route seems alluring, but if we are not ready for it yet, we can put it on our bucket list and prepare for it with every walk we take.

I’ve read a lot about how the Camino de Santiago changed the lives of those who walked it. It is the first trail on my bucket list I will cross off, and it is a journey I plan to do alone. And enjoy each mile, whatever it throws at me – lousy weather, blisters, or pain.

Over time I’ve managed to overcome the fear of hiking on my own, especially when it comes to familiar routes. As I was getting my self-confidence back, I started hiking on my own and enjoying that fantastic feeling of solitude that we all secretly crave.

The solitude gave me a chance to achieve a state of deep calm through meditation, which is a path to personal freedom.

Things Hiking Taught Me

Hiking has transformed my life. It has taught me many lessons that I theoretically knew but only learned through practice.

• The strength to endure is already in you, even when you spend a whole day in bed, staring at the ceiling. Somewhere, deep down inside you, you still have the power to choose what you’ll take.
• Each step you take out of your comfort zone, each limit you push a bit further, might hurt in one way or another, but it can’t measure up to the joy of conquering each new challenge.
• We all need meaning in our lives – it’s what motivates us and keeps us going. We can find that meaning through simple actions we take each day to achieve goals, and values we hold close to our hearts.
• Hiking builds up your self-confidence, so you’re able to rely on yourself more, and even support the others who find the route more difficult than you. It enables you to grow.

Life is, in a way, a long and meandering path before us, full of unexpected challenges. The uncertainty may scare us, but it may teach us to value the journey. Pretty much like hiking does.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Ascension Lifestyle Contributor Rebecca is a translator and avid traveler, a book worm and horror flick enthusiast. Her  job has given me the amazing opportunity to travel to dozens of countries around the world, and writing gives her the chance to try to showcase some of them.