Ever wondered why you always sign up for hikes despite knowing that it will not be a walk in the park and pain will be part of it? Well i have been there, i have asked myself the same question and I had struggled with getting an answer to it. Today’s post is about my why for hiking and it’s dedicated to anyone trying to figure out why they hike or why they might want to start hiking.

Before i tell you my why, id like you to know how i got here. My hiking journey started in 2016, then hiking was a way for me to get out Nairobi and visiting new places while having fun. This was amazing but it didn’t last for long before i started yearning for more. This yearning lead me to a newer set of reasons which were, summiting all the prep hills/mountains and hiking Mt.Kenya. After my summit to Mt.Kenya it became harder and harder for me to get back on the trails. Each time i tried to go back, i felt demotivated and i didn’t know why i had enjoyed/loved hiking. Because of this i decided to take a break and find my why. Thanks to my long break, below are my reasons for hiking again.

• To be in nature

Hiking takes you to the untampered parts of nature where most of the things are still in their natural habitat. It is a good way of taking a break from the chaotic city life and getting to enjoy nature at its best. Being in nature heals and rejuvenates my spirit.

• Competition/achieving a goal

I’m a competitive person and to quench my competitive spirit hiking does it for me. On the hiking trails I can challenge myself to do something that may seem difficult to do e.g summitting Elephant hills is less than 4 hours or set a new hiking goal eg hiking Mt. Kilimanjaro. Through the challenges and goals setting i always have something that I’m working towards, this has helped me build discipline and resilience.

• Spiritual, emotional and mental wellbeing

When hiking alone i mostly spend my time reflecting on my life, my relationships and spirituality. On the trails i review my decisions, have conversations with God, have a serious meeting with myself and motivate/cheer myself on. Through this I’ve been able to strengthen my spiritual, emotional and mental health. This is my biggest reward of them all.

• Physical fitness

Hiking is a full body workout, it helps me in keeping fit and manage my weight.

• Human interaction/community

Most of the time hiking is done in groups except for the few times when one opts to hike alone, being surrounded by people with the same goal and interests as you helps you build a community through which you can grow with and learn from. Through my hiking community I’ve gained friends, mentors and role models.

• Adventure and experiences

No matter how many times you hike a specific hill/mountain, you will always have a different experience on each hike which makes it adventurous. Hiking fills my adventurer spirit and grow my experiences portfolio. My current hiking adventure obsession is hiking and swimming at the waterfalls.

A friend once asked me what is my center in life, i didn’t have an answer then but now i do. Hiking is a key part in maintaining my center in life. Over the years my hiking reasons have evolved and at no single point did i have a specific reason, so it’s okay to have as many reasons as you can don’t be limited to 1 or 2. What is/are your reasons for hiking?