Every year, more and more people embark on long-distance hikes lasting several days – with the apparent goal of finding oneself. Because at least since the massive “pilgrim boom” on the Jakobswegen the topic of long-distance hiking and walking has become absolutely socially acceptable – even popular.
But as so often in our time – if one can earn some money with it – this interest in remote long-distance walking produces many peculiarities at “ad absurdum” the true spirit of such a remote long-distance walk.
Tour operators “drive” the tired long-distance hikers in the evening to chic hotels and with popular guides direct them cleverly through every city on the side-ways – so that the modern multi-day hiker never misses a retreat.
So even the purist long-walking becomes an absolute “lifestyle event”.
But the “true spirit” of long-distance walking – the secret, the power behind it, that can change you and your life forever – moves into far distance this way and remains completely secretive to you.
What makes longwalking so special
If you are looking for the real magic of a long-distance hike, then you have to get out! Out into nature. Far away from social amenities – away from concrete paths and colorful signs.
There, where your life is reduced to the few things that really matter. On long-distance hiking trails – far from civilization. In places – which are still left to nature today.
Because only there you can discover the real charm, which makes longwalking so extraordinary and which will change your life forever.
Long-distance hiking promotes your independence
While hiking on such long-distance hiking trails you are on your own – wear only with you, which fits into your backpack. In many areas there is not even “cell phone reception”. No peoples’ soul far and wide.
So you are often completely alone on the long hike. Must solve every problem, every task alone. No matter if making a fire, preparing food or setting up a tent – you have to take care of everything independently, so you quickly become a little “all-rounder”.
You are often alone in the wilderness on long-distance hiking trails
If you master all these challenges on your own, you will quickly gain a lot of self-confidence and transfer this to the rest of your life. Once you have realized that you can face the demands and laws of nature, then you know, deep down, that you can also do many other things in life without any help from others.
Long-distance hiking promotes minimalism and inner happiness
If you walk a dozen or more kilometers every day, then you will inevitably need the least possible baggage. Every ounce in the backpack makes you slower and harder for every step you take. So you quickly learn to limit yourself, to limit yourself to the really important things – which you need for long-distance walking.
At the beginning, you still believe that you will soon miss the belongings left behind, and that leaving them at home will greatly restrict your wandering. But faster than you can probably imagine now, you will notice on your long hike that we humans tend to “lug around” ballast with us – to accumulate things that we actually do not need for our lives and our happiness.
By wandering long distances you will learn to distinguish what you really need to be happy and what things are just unnecessary ballast – that you carry around with you. You’ll find that real luxury has nothing to do with either money or any consumer goods – true luxury, that’s the time you spend on yourself and the things that make you happy from the inside out.
On remote long-distance hikes you realize what you really need
If you have not learned to take everything in life for granted and have never renounced on things that we consider completely “normal” in our society – such as a hot shower, electricity or a comfortable bed – then you will quickly notice what really matters in life and you will be able to enjoy the “little” things in life through your experience in long-distance walking.
Longwalking is a fight against your innermost
In today’s society, we are no longer used to our physical and psychological limits – we are usually comfortable, often get served or even pass on unpleasant tasks to others.
But when you are wandering, you are alone, alone with yourself and your “demons”.
In front of you are distances from which many people can not even imagine today that it is possible to walk them exclusively on foot. You will climb steep mountains and slopes where there is neither a cable car nor a road leading up the path in moderate bends. You’ll cross rough terrain, so wild – that you’ll often wonder if you’re on the right track.
All these adversities you will face during the right wandering – eye to eye with your “inner bastard” and the “little man in the ear” that asks you: “Why do you do this to yourself – are you still in your right mind and senses?”
Sometimes you will fight – fighting for every step, every meter, every mountain to conquer. You fight against yourself, your comfort and the inner urge to throw everything and go back to your comfy life.
If you decide and win this fight during long-distance treks for youself – reach your goal of the day, conquer the next mountain – then you will feel invincible, free of any ballast.
When you are able to control your own mind, to control yourself, to push your body to its limits, you realize that in life you can take on all your opponents and adversities. Nothing can stop you – nobody will stop you anymore if you do not want it.
You will internalize that you can do everything in life. Understand that you will always find a way to make the things that are important to you a reality.
While remote long-distance trekking you can experience real nature
In our present, we humans have completely lost touch with nature. Nature, that is for most of us already the “small city park” just around the corner, the controlled reforested forest on the outskirts or also wide, paved paths through the mountainous areas crossed by ski resorts.
But in truth, all these places have nothing at all to do with untamed nature. In all these areas man rules. There we have restricted nature, tamed, destroyed and robbed of its true fascination.
But when you walk far, you can penetrate into areas in which nature at least approximately carries its elemental power and its true beauty in itself. To places that are tens of kilometers away from the nearest road, the nearest village and civilization.
On these walks you can often meet wild animals without being shy of people because we become part of nature
When you wander around, you will soon realize that such precipitous regions are unique and you will see how perfectly everything fits together here – how grandiose nature works when man does not “interfere”.
In nature, you will also realize that death & decay have nothing negative in them – but are merely part of the perfect cycle. Nothing is lost, nothing is wasted – everything is part of the great cycle of new life following decay.
In real long-distance hiking in exposed regions you will also experience that animals do not necessarily take off from people. You will realize that there is a kind of respect and natural interest of all beings among themselves.
Walking remote long-distance treks will change your life
All of these longwalking experiences will make you a different, more independent and self-confident person if you let it happen – your view of many things in life will change profoundly.
Maybe that sounds just too “spiritual” to you and you can not imagine that a mere hike can have such an impact on you and your personality. I found these narrations during my research online of such long-haul experiences from experts that I follow, but also many other people who go on long-distance hikes face these challenges on such tours tell similar stories when you talk to them.
If you want to tell your stories and self-experiences to other people from your long-distance walking and remote trekking tours then do not hesitate and share your stories in the comment box below with all of us. Thank you and nice wanderlust!