Why Hiking is Just Like Taking a Vacation

7 Reasons Why Hiking is

Just Like Taking a Vacation

Man, oh man. Hiking 5 miles and 3,000 feet to the summit of a mountain to almost

9,800 feet could be agony, but I would take that over the stress and drama of work

any day. Do you feel like that sometimes, too?

As I'm sure many of you can relate with, work has been consuming me lately that

I am finding it hard to keep my chin up, be optimistic, and fight the frustration.

And this is why I hike. This is why I spend so much time outdoors in the blazing

sun when I could be sitting on the couch with the AC blasting, stuffing my face with Cheetos. I hike out of necessity. I hike to keep myself sane.

And as much as I would like to go on extended vacations week after week, jetsetting

from one exotic location to the next, that is not so realistic at the moment unless a

miraculous inheritance, which I'm 101% certain is non-existent, shows up in my bank

account, I'm afraid I would have to show up at work tomorrow.

And that is what makes weekends so precious. And on the weekends when I'm

not traveling, hiking and the mountains is where it's at. There are so many

parallelisms to why hiking is just like taking a vacation - except that in my

case, living in the Sierras means not going very far to go far.

1 Disconnecting is the new luxury

Up in the mountains, cellphone signal is often rare and in this day and age of

constant connectivity, hiking takes me to the places where I temporarily escape

the reach of connectivity and social media. Of absent-mindedly scrolling through

news feeds. What an absolute breath of fresh air that is!

2 Because Biophilia

Dr. Edward O. Wilson is an American biologist, scientist, and writer who

coined the word "biophilia" which purports that the love of nature is innate

to us because it is in our genetic code. So actually, being outside is natural to

us as humans (whereas being at a desk really isn't - I think we already established

that), and therefore, being outside makes us happy. So hiking really, just like a beach

vacation, makes us happy because being outside in nature is where we belong!

3 In slow motion

Hiking is a slow and deliberate motion and could perhaps be one of those last

activities anymore that defies the mad rush and high demand to do everything

faster. When you're on vacation, everything slows down and this is especially

true as well when hiking. Notice the absence of "hiking races"?

It is a slow activity, purposely done so, so you could notice

and pay attention to your surroundings.

4 Old school social

Is it just me or have you noticed how people (myself included) are getting more and

more distant from and wary of actual face-to-face conversations? A phone or computer

screen creates a non-threatening filter between you and your audience that it makes it

easier to be honest and vulnerable online than it may be in a face-to-face setting.

Hiking with others, particularly long distance hikes, forces us to engage and revel

in conversation before it is driven to extinction by social media altogether!

5 Silent Treatment

And then there is just the silence of the trails only broken by the occasional rustle of

the leaves, the light breeze, the crackle of rocks beneath your feet, the bird calls. It

takes you so far and away from what you may experience during the daily grind that

it is a welcome and rejuvenating break.

6 A live Screensaver

Ever notice how your office computer has screensavers that go to such great

lengths to take you away from the four corners of your office? Nature is a great

source of therapy and happy vibes that nothing in the mountains or in the wild

would remind you of work. Well, except that screensaver.

7 The Big Picture

Oftentimes, when we are caught up in the drama of office life - personalities, politics, workloads -

we get so entrenched in the work. But when you step outside somewhere wild where

you are dwarfed by trees, cliffs, and mountains, then everything is put into perspective.

You are reminded that there is a universe far larger, immeasurable, and less complex

than the daily grind at your office desk.

All photos taken a couple weekends ago hiking to the summit of Mount Tallac in South Lake Tahoe.

Photos in order:

1. View from the summit of Mt. Tallac looking at Fallen Leaf Lake and Lake Tahoe

2. View of Fallen Leaf Lake from False Summit

3. Floating Island Lake - the first alpine lake encounter to the summit

4. Fallen Leaf Lake and Lake Tahoe

5. Cathedral Lake

6. Some of the Sierra mountains still have snow!

7. Wildflowers

8. View of Fallen Leaf Lake and Lake Tahoe

9. View of Lake Tahoe, Cascade Lake and Emerald Bay

Sträva Profile of this hike:

#welcome #adventure #hiking #renotahoe