“In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.”
- Margaret Atwood
The effects that exercise and being in nature can have on our Mental Health are undeniable and backed by plenty of research. Being out in nature calms your nervous system and can reduce anxiety. It can take your mind off worries that drag you down and put things into perspective because we can see our interconnectedness to the world around us.
For the longest time I described myself as a city girl, as someone who prefers urban environments and the hustle and bustle of a big city to the tranquility of nature.
I left my hometown, located in the middle of the alps, surrounded by mountains, for the hectic, high energy buzz of London.
And I loved every second of it. I loved the anonymity that comes with a big city like that. I loved that it never stops moving. I loved the fact that it constantly changes and morphs from one thing to another in the blink of an eye. The things most people disliked about London, I adored.
I was, and still am to an extent, deeply in love with this city.
But the thing about London is that, if you're not careful, it can swallow you whole. It’s unbelievably expensive to live there, especially if, like me, you don’t have jobs that pay super well. This constant struggle with money and the never seizing high-level energy started to grate on me. More and more I found myself craving some peace and quiet. A change of scenery. So as mentioned in other places, quickly made the decision to leave in order to discover new places, cultures and a different kind of energy. A more mellow one to contrast my racing thoughts rather than enhance them.
It was in Laos that I, at the age of 28, discovered my love for hiking. The simplicity of putting one step in front of the other, of being able to take in nature to its fullest and experience the world around me at a completely different pace than I was used to.
It quiets my mind, which never completely shuts up, and gives me the time to recharge without making me feel stagnant.
When, in 2020, I had to leave Asia to reluctantly come back to my hometown, I started to do one of the few things you could do in times of lockdows and social distancing - hiking.
I walked up mountains, chased waterfalls and desperately tried to get my mind off the fact that I didn’t want to be in this place.
I had very few friends and struggled to relate to many, seeing as our lives had taken seriously different trajectories in the 8 years that had passed since I last lived here.
Being out in nature as the one thing that brought me solace, it was how I forged new connections and deepened old ones. Whether it was through hiking, climbing or via ferratas.
I was, and am still, in frequent contact with my friends in the UK and one fateful day my dear friend Hannah mentioned the PCT while on one of our hour long rambling video chats.
Now, I’m gonna be honest - when she first talked about it I either didn’t listen properly or, which is the more charitable version, the connection was bad.
I don’t remember.
In any case I hadn’t really caught on to the fact that it was essentially a 6 month long hike. In my head it was a fun road trip with a bit of hiking and nature exploring. I somehow completely ignored the fact that Hannah gets violently car sick and therefore would never suggest such an endeavour. With this faulty picture in my head however, I enthusiastically agreed to definitely, 100% do it with her. She seemed a bit surprised but also very pleased.
Only later when I googled it I realised it was - well - a hike.
A really, really, really long hike.
A 4-6 months long hike
.
Has she gone completely insane?
4,265 km - 2650 miles - of walking.
I mean seriously who would do that?
Through the desert and over snow capped mountains.
Well it does look pretty amazing…
Through three (!) different states.
Honestly, that would be a hell of an achievement...
All the way from Mexico to Canada.
It’d definitely be an adventure…
With bears and rattlesnakes and bloody mountain lions???
It is decided - We. Are. Doing. This!
So here we are 2 years later and frantically planning for our adventure. We are slowly but surely collecting our gear, are planning weeklong hiking trips (aka practice hikes) and are consuming a truly ungodly amount of PCT podcasts, vlogs, blogs, books and films.
Everything is PCT practice, whether it’s walking to work in the rain or setting up a tent in the living room.
The thought of this adventure is what keeps both of us going through the rough patches that life throws at us.
Spending time in nature, no matter how harsh and uncomfortable it can be, is what makes me come alive, what eases my anxiety and lets me forget about the things I struggle with.
I think the outdoors can do that for all of us, if we just let it, so get outside, smell the flowers, hike a mountain and get lost in the woods.
I know that's what I'll be doing.
With bears and rattlesnakes and bloody mountain lions???
It is decided - We. Are. Doing. This!
Love this!😆