Is there anything more exhilarating than packing a backpack, putting on a pair of comfortable boots and heading outdoors for a hiking adventure? Being in nature, enjoying the sounds and the solitude, and just disconnecting from a world that is constantly screaming for your attention is the easiest and often the most affordable way to have a break.
As life becomes a lot more chaotic and so stuffed full of things that you can feel as though there is really no time to even breathe, hiking has become not just a way to escape for a while and recharge, but also something that can teach you lessons about life.
It is quite amazing what you can learn when you are out on a trail, or even be reminded about. Hiking can be one of the greatest adventures that you have ever had, and what is truly amazing about it is that you can do it as often as you like.
Life Lessons from Hiking
- Patience
You can only do as much as you can do, meaning if you are tired you will need to rest. Life these days wants to tell us that we need to do everything in a hurry. But when you are out hiking, you are going to be forced to slow down, and learn to be patient when you start getting tired or when the trail becomes difficult.
- Problem Solving
When you are out on the trail, especially on a rough and rugged one, things can go wrong, and when they do, you are the best person to solve the issue because you are there. We are so used to Googling our problems or getting someone else to do the problem solving, that we forget how to help ourselves. Hiking will empower you to be able to solve your own problems.
- Change is constant
As humans we often forget that change is a constant. Change makes most of us feel very uncomfortable, but in nature, change is all around us. On the hiking trail, you will see the changing of seasons, the destruction of plants from wind and rain, and the growing of new plants, seeded from the dying ones. This can serve as a good lesson in change being inevitable.
- Perseverance
A tough hike can be a mental challenge as well as a physical one. You are going to feel tired and worn out the further you go, your muscles might start screaming at you and you are going to at some point think about sitting down and giving up. But while rest is good, you should never think about giving up. Completing the hike will teach you to persevere when times get hard.
- Preparation
With everything in life, it is important that you do some preparation to ensure success. And no one will tell you that the best hike is an unprepared one, because that would be a lie. When you are hiking in Mpumalanga preparing is the key to success, and it will teach you to develop a culture of preparedness for other areas of your life.
