Hiking, basically, consists of walking outdoors in a natural environment. Although it sounds like a very simple activity – essentially just putting one foot in front of the other – it has plenty of health and mental benefits.
You can hike on footpaths and trails in a neighborhood park or on wooded hills outside of town, but to make the most out of it, consider a hiking vacation deep in the wilderness and mountains.
Each state in the US has its own state park where you can almost invariably find a great place for hiking
– not to mention the hundreds of private parks scattered all over the country. If you have the time and the money, however, you need not limit yourself stateside. You can go down to Peru, for example, to a town called Huaraz; it’s described as a trekker’s paradise. You can also travel halfway around the globe to Queenstown, New Zealand, where, according to globetrotting hikers, some of the world’s best hiking trails can be found.
Whether or not your hiking vacation requires you to fly to your destination, what is most important is the opportunity to commune and connect with nature, enjoy spectacular mountaintop views, marvel at the changing colors of the sky as the sun slowly fades into the night, and take delight in the nippy mountain air as you gather around the campfire and exchange ghost stories and roast marshmallows.
Unlike some vacation activities, hiking is something the whole family can share. Dad may like visiting museums, Mom may prefer shopping, but these things easily bore junior and little sis. A hike through the woods, on the other hand, is something everyone can do together.
Compared to vacationing in theme parks where there is an admission fee for virtually everything, or attending festivals where hawkers selling souvenirs push their wares, a hiking vacation isn’t very expensive (assuming you are not traveling to New Zealand). There are neither expensive restaurants nor shopping malls in the mountains.
Although counterintuitive, hiking is often best when it is not too easy to reach your destination. A little difficulty is what turns the trek into an adventure worth remembering and photographing. For example, walking on flat surfaces is certainly more boring than jumping from one boulder to another as rushing whitewater splashes around you. Further, such trips grant you bragging rights as you show off your adventure photos to your friends back home.
Apart from the challenge and stunning views associated with a hiking vacation, it also entails health benefits. You get to exercise, breath fresh unpolluted air, and unwind, literally leaving everything behind. Your muscles are strengthened and rendered more flexible. Blood circulation is also improved.
Of course, if you do not prepare yourself for a long hike, you may actually get injured. This makes your planned hike a great motivation for you to exercise before you actually get on your way. In addition to the physical benefits, hiking is also great for relieving stress. It provides you with the time to think and reflect on matters that are of consequence to you as you are far from distractions. And of course, there is always the satisfaction of knowing that you have taken up a nature challenge and won.
The next time someone mad at you says “go take a hike”…actually go. And have fun.
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