Hey y’all Dan here!
There are so many things to consider about backpacking, I didn’t know where to begin. I had been a soldier for more than 30 years. I had worn a backpack with a hundred pounds of “ultra-light weight gear.” When I retired from the Army, I swore “never again!” I was done with carrying heavy equipment over miles of rugged terrain. I never wanted to see another backpack!
Then my brother (a former Marine) called and asked me to hike with him on a section of the Appalachian Trail. Reluctantly, I went. He nearly killed me. The climbs were endless. My legs ached. My lungs burned. I hated him for talking me into this. I hated myself for agreeing to go.
Still, something changed. After my body recovered from the abuse, I had inflicted on myself, I began to miss the trail. This was different. There was something about being immersed in nature and simply walking through it all. The sound of the streams soothed my soul. The views of endless mountains calmed my spirit. I felt like my wounds of the past were being treated with a miraculous ointment. I drank it in and discovered healing.
That was my reintroduction to hiking and backpacking. When we were children, our dad would take us walking in the woods that surrounded our house. He taught us to love the outdoors. We walked through fields and forests. We slept under the stars on summer nights. We swam in cold streams and creeks. The outdoors was not some foreign, threatening place where we were afraid of wild animals. It was an extension of home. A place to explore and enjoy.
My military career was a little different. However, when I had the opportunity to explore, many of my childhood feelings returned. The challenge of military service is that it comes with traumatic experiences. We witness man’s inhumanity to man. We are wounded, sometimes physically, always emotionally. Those wounds are hidden deep. Sometimes we hide the wounds to protect those we love most. Sometimes we hide them from ourselves. All of the time the wounds lay under the surface of our daily lives. They may form tender places in our souls that cause us to respond when something, or someone, pokes a little too deep. They may fester, become infected, and emerge with terrible side effects. These are the places of post traumatic stress.
For me, this is where the trail has been most helpful. This is where I find peace. When I am immersed in nature and realize that I am also a part of the beauties of creation, then I begin to discover acceptance. Creation accepts me as I walk these paths and slow down enough to accept the beauties around me. Slowly, I begin to accept myself. So, I encourage you to find your place too.
These are the experiences of my life. You also have experiences. What are they? How have your experiences formed you the way you live? Imogene King was a pioneer of modern nursing. She explained health as involving the patient’s life experiences, including adjusting to stressors in the internal and external environment by using resources available. Health is the ability to interact with the things around us. Hiking has made me healthier. I believe it can help you too.