Hike More, Worry Less

I set a goal to do one hike per week in May of 2025 to replace my main source of exercise, running. Running was no longer a viable option for daily exercise; it was beginning to create nagging pains in my body. I decided to incorporate hiking, thinking it would become just that, a source of exercise. It was never my intention, nor did I think it would be possible, to become obsessed.

I did a couple of simple and short hikes to start this goal, gradually increasing the difficulty. In my first month, I noticed a change in my life. I was feeling healthy, of course; however, for the first time in a long time, my mind was at ease.

I have had depression and anxiety for my whole life, mostly managed with medications and just trying to find ways to cope. As I have approached mid-life, pressures have mounted. I lost my father to cancer as a young adult and have felt the pains of that more and more as I have grown older and I attempt to unpack feelings of regret, remorse, and sadness. The loss of a safety net and advocate that was always there for me has been difficult to navigate while raising my own children and finding my own path in life. I have a family who depends on me. I have a mortgage. The worries of the world weigh heavy.

In recent years I have been through three layoffs in my career, triggering PTSD that I did not think was possible. How could a job, a career, make me to feel so worthless? How could it make me feel a lump in my throat any time a simple concern comes up at work? I have people that depend on me and I cannot let them down.

Medications alone were no longer enough. By the summer of 2025, it was no longer just exercise. I knew I could not get enough of the trails and I never wanted to miss a week. It was the beauty of nature, the adrenaline of standing on top of a peak, and the sounds of rushing water that centered my mind. Unplugging for large portions of the day while I’m on the trail, getting my heart rate up, and breathing in clean air saves me.

I have brought my troubles to the mountains, hills, and deserts and found the truest form of therapy. This alone is not a magical elixir. I still have mighty struggles, but it has opened up a path for me that I did not see before.

Starting a hike is never easy. A lot of days your mind and body don’t want to go. Waking up on a Saturday morning, it is too easy to just stay in bed or handle those daily chores that you know need attention. But just give yourself that chance to break that first mile, that first 1,000 feet of elevation gain, and you can start to feel the worries of the world fall off your shoulders. You will return with a tired body, but a renewed energy of spirit and mind.

Hike more, worry less.