Boredom on the Trail

[hobbs]

https://thetrek.co/nature-immersion-...mental-health/

Not sure the scientific rigor behind some of these claims, but the gist holds true for me. But you have to be open to it.

i actually read a study paper in my doctors waiting room on the benefits if hiking.So its been studied thatwhy their cool when i miss appointments to hike long milage.

[rickb]

i actually read a study paper in my doctors waiting room on the benefits if hiking.So its been studied thatwhy their cool when i miss appointments to hike long milage.

My guess on benefits hierarchy:

Loving partner > owning a dog (pet) > hiking > good tequila

Order rotates daily.

[Nanatuk]

i actually read a study paper in my doctors waiting room on the benefits if hiking.So its been studied thatwhy their cool when i miss appointments to hike long milage.

"I have two doctors, my left leg and my right" George Macauley Trevelyan

I read an article that urged doctors to watch their patients walking to get a general sense of their health. I thought that was very insightful.

[hobbs]

"I have two doctors, my left leg and my right" George Macauley Trevelyan

I read an article that urged doctors to watch their patients walking to get a general sense of their health. I thought that was very insightful.

Depending on age they ask questions if you can help yourself physically and your mental state,,MY moms 83 there always asking her questions at the VA..

[Big_Old_Dog]

I'm still doing that 20 miles but I'm taking 2 days to do it instead of 1. Therefore if there's a waterfall off trail, a monument, a view,a wayside etc,etc. I have the time to see more as opposed to the one blasting out big miles every day, the only thing they get to see is the trail itself.

Well, lucky you to have that much time

[4eyedbuzzard]

my first attempt in 1986 i quit in Gorham, NH. not bored just was sick of walkin'. didn't wanna walk thru some of the most scenic parts of the AT with a bad attitude. saved Maine for a rainy day so to speak. glad i did

On my first long hike in 1974 I stopped at Andover, ME, not bored, just sick of hiking. It's a valid reason. If you are not into it, get off the trail...

Well, it can get monotonous. It's called the Virginia blues for a reason. Sleep, walk, eat. Repeat endlessly. But it should take more then 4 days to get to that point I know when I've been out alone for more then a few days, I start to really hope someone comes by I can talk to!

Once it becomes a task, it kind of stops being fun for many. Some are driven by the completion gratification more than others. My longest hike was an attempted thru, some 465 miles Springer to Damascus, way back in the 70's. More than anything else, it just stopped being enjoyable. I got tired of cold and wet and the monotony of it. Lots of shorter sections followed, but work, children and life didn't allow for any further LD hikes. And I'm not so sure I would enjoy 5 months on the trail at this point in life. There would likely be a lot of "why am I doing this" days.

Boredom is different. I shared a breakfast table at Phantom Ranch, bottom of Grand Canyon, with a family from LA who had rode donkeys down the Bright Angel trail to there and were leaving the next day (my wife and I were backpacking for five days into remote side canyons). The mother said one night was enough, because "There's nothing to do here". Of course, that's not true--Learn the plants, animals, geology, weather, people, just be at peace with silence, on and on... it would take 1000 lifetimes.
So such remarks say more about the speaker than anything else. Yes, if your brain is turned off, things get boring no matter where you are.

That's a good question. Despite hauling a heavy pack I'm always excited to get moving every morning and happy to be a self-contained unit out for the duration. To me a foot trail is a labyrinth leading to little treasures---a waterfall here, a pine forest there, a snowy bald, a rhododendron grotto, a creekside camp---always another place to call home for the night.
My actual mind is consumed with boot placement to avoid falling, blowdowns on the trail which need to be cut thru---and a simple yoga mantra I do in rhythm with my stride.

I'm still doing that 20 miles but I'm taking 2 days to do it instead of 1. Therefore if there's a waterfall off trail, a monument, a view,a wayside etc,etc. I have the time to see more as opposed to the one blasting out big miles every day, the only thing they get to see is the trail itself.

You see less in 12 miles than you do in 20 miles.

If you take an inquisitive child backpacking, you will note that they typically see more things of interest in one mile than most thru-hikers see in twenty - or more.

As to boredom after the hiking day is done, people today can bring a vast supply of reading material due to electronics compared to the "old days" of hard copy books. During the day, that tech goes for detailed trail guides as well. There's a lot to see along the trail other than just the white blazes. We used to always bring the detailed section guides published by the regional trail clubs. It's a choice that has to be made by the individual as to what is more important - there's the journey and the destination. Somewhere, in the middle ground, thru-hikers have to strike a balance based upon what's important to them.

[HankIV]

Mama always said boring is as boring does....

[JNI64]

Mama also always said hiking is like a box of chocolates you never know what your gonna get....

[msujay]

Worst case there is always Fart Baseball to keep one entertained.

[Odd Man Out]

i actually read a study paper in my doctors waiting room on the benefits if hiking.So its been studied thatwhy their cool when i miss appointments to hike long milage.

The benefits meditation are well established. Many envision this requires a state of sedentary focus. But it has also been shown that these benefits can be accomplished through repetitive physical activity, such as walking. Perhaps you've seen a medetation labarynth. A twisted pathway in a peaceful environment you follow to facilitate active meditation. Stretch that out to be a linear path in a green tunnel, you have the same effect.

[garlic08]

I've been on some hikes that were a little too exciting and I wished for a boring day.

[NY HIKER 50]

I don't know how it can be boring at all. You are busy getting from one place to another. At the end of the day there are the chores (cooking dinner, setting up the tend, rinsing socks, etc.) Then there's going into town for resupply. The only time you might get a little bored is during a zero day but hey, it's a recharge for you.

[BlackCloud]

Chores being the operative the word. After a while you just want your real food handed to you already.

My idea of a LDH is a week. Couple days at a time is great; past that not so much.

Now going on a guided horse pack trip with wranglers? I might be able to do that for months.

[GolfHiker]

Not to go overboard on philosophical vs. practical thinking, but is there a “generational” thing going on here? Social media, immediacy, things often associated with the younger crowd. Peakbagger told the story of the hiker with headphones, which we all see routinely. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with a little occasional trail music, wearing headphones while hiking, while tenting, virtually all day, seems symbolic of someone more interested in “media” than “being alone with their thoughts”, which leads us back to the boredom question. Of course, this is just one aspect of things and my opinion.

[Tipi Walter]

To me "cursing" happens more when backpacking than boredom. What is cursing? When a boot sole comes off. When a tent pole breaks. When I leave tent pegs under the snow. When it rains for 150 hours. When I can't find the trail for a full hour. Unwanted Surprises is the bane of backpacking---leading to cursing.

[LittleRock]

The longest I've been out on the trail is 2 weeks (multiple times, always solo).

Do I get bored? No. Do I start to miss my wife and kids the 2nd week? Yes.

[Odd Man Out]

Not to go overboard on philosophical vs. practical thinking, but is there a “generational” thing going on here? Social media, immediacy, things often associated with the younger crowd. Peakbagger told the story of the hiker with headphones, which we all see routinely. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with a little occasional trail music, wearing headphones while hiking, while tenting, virtually all day, seems symbolic of someone more interested in “media” than “being alone with their thoughts”, which leads us back to the boredom question. Of course, this is just one aspect of things and my opinion.

Why not go overboard? That's what we do ;-) This is reminiscent of the "are cell phones good or bad" threads that were common 10 or more years ago. Today it's to the point that they are seen as essential tools. People say they enrich your life in so many ways. But to me it seems the opposite is true. Some people admit they could not hike without the security, comfort, and entertainment provided by their portable device. As a result, instead of a being a tool allowing you to do more, it has become an obstacle that holds you back.

[Leo L.]

Regarding smartphones, I find myself swaying forth and back between seeing and using mine as an essential means of navigation with the added bonus of being able to communicate some essentials, and the dark side of it when I get to a place with good signal and I fall back into the old homey behavior of reading news and internet nonsense.

One time I got stuck high up a lonely mountain valley in a bad weather front and had to hunker down in the tent for 24hrs.
The only things I could do (aside of some eating) was reading.
The only Kindle book I had downloaded to the phone was "Black Hawk down".
So I spent the whole day crammed inside the tent reading this dreadful war story.
That basically cured me a bit from understanding the smartphone as a entertainment.

[TNhiker]

Worst case there is always Fart Baseball to keep one entertained.

yeah........

but for the loser who poops their pants, that's not gonna make for a fun hike...

[TNhiker]

Not to go overboard on philosophical vs. practical thinking, but is there a “generational” thing going on here? Social media, immediacy, things often associated with the younger crowd.

what i've noticed with a bunch of my younger friends----10, 15, 20 years younger than me-----is their
attention span is very short.....

for anything......

not sure if it's a direct result but most of these friends have grown up, and still do, playing video games....