Why Do I Hike?

In Hiking by Tahir RazzaqLeave a Comment

When I tell people I love hiking, I always get different reactions. Some people think its “cool”, others think I’m a badass and a select few think I’m boring. Most of the time, I go on to say, I love hiking as well as other outdoor activities, to give people an idea that outdoors people aren’t one dimensional. The truth is, I am a hiker, peak bagger, photographer, camper, road tripper, weekend warrior, entrepreneur, student, worker, brother, son, friend, wanna be rock climber, skier, and sunset chaser. Those are but a few things I can use to describe myself but when it comes down to it, hiker is perhaps the one trait I love so much, I could never give it up. It’s usually hard to explain to people why I love it so much, it’s as if asking a blind person to describe the color orange. However, it is possible to break it down into components and the component of hiking I want to talk about is the overall benefits you can get from hiking

Being active and the health benefits related to it are perhaps the most obvious benefit of hiking. Statistically, If you hike only once a week and for about three hours, you are already more physically active than about 80% of the United States population.  Additionally, as it is outlined by the American College of Sports Medicine, you are meeting the Physical Activity guidelines for the week and by doing so, you dramatically decrease your risk for Cardiovascular disease (the number one killer in the US), Hypertension, Diabetes, etc…  But why don’t I just go to the gym and run on the treadmill you may ask? Well, hiking is more than just the physical component; it’s the mental, emotional and social component.

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