Ways To Bring The Hike Back Home

Keep in touch with hiker life even off-trail

The one thing I hate about outdoor adventures is that they always end.

Before I divulge more, I want to add a little caveat. I love my comfort items at home. From the fleece heated blanket on my bed to my fuzzy socks to my oversized sweatshirts, I love everything that makes me feel cozy and warm. Despite this, I choose to go out on the trail and be a sweaty, hot, uncomfortable mess as I hike or run. I bundle up and freeze my butt off in the winter with Honey by my side as we work to chip away at sections of the Ozark Trail. All the while, I am in an environment that is not always cozy and warm. Yet, moving my body outside is one of my favorite things about the life that I have built.

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This dichotomy doesn’t always make sense in my brain, especially when I get off trail from a tough hike or run and immediately want to hide under the covers of my bed for the rest of time. However, the next day, my type-two fun side kicks in and I’m homesick for the trail. Because of this, I have tried really hard to merge the intense, wonderful feelings I get from hiking with the homey vibes I get off the trail. How can I still experience the awe-struck nature of backpacking trips while at my home base when the spirit of the trail seems too far away?

Well, newsflash, nothing can ever replace something as wild as the trail in commercial areas and suburbia. Regardless, it is possible to “conjure” aspects of hiking into off-trail life. Here are some of the top ways I bring the hike back home with me when I’m feeling down!

1. Walls of pictures and maps

As a way to both commemorate the trips I have been on and get inspired for new adventures, I have created a big wall of hiking, outdoor-themed memorabilia. Each picture represents a moment in time when I was truly happy and enjoying the various trails I have been on throughout the years. I have also added maps of my favorite hiking areas and postcards from different parks to complement the aesthetic. If I have a certain goal in mind, there’s a portion of the wall that is dedicated to future trips as well. This looks like printing out maps of specific routes or even putting up more pictures of whatever represents the main objective. A large map of the entire Appalachian Trail has been hung on my wall for years, and almost every day I look at it to keep the subtle dream of thru-hiking alive.

2. Keep a hiking journal

I am a huge fan of journaling in general as a way to process the day or mentally hash out whatever has been bothering me. However, when it comes to hiking, I have gotten in the habit of keeping a notebook just for documenting the trails that I traverse and the adventures that I go on. Normally, when I get back from a hike or trail run (after I have showered and eaten a Taco Bell black bean chalupa or something similar), I sit down to jot some notes about the trip. For mine, I write out the following details:

• Trail name

• Name of the park or hiking area

• Mileage (even if it’s a guess)

• Trail conditions

• Hiking partners

• Cool things I saw

• Description of how it went, or anything that stood out

As an extra fun thing, I also print out one picture I took from the hike that encapsulates the experience and tape it to the back of the page. Doing this takes little effort and is the perfect way to conclude my time on the trail. Over time, I love looking back at all the hikes and adventures I have gone on. Having both a written account and a visual image to reflect on always gives me those warm, fuzzy feelings that help ease some of the homesickness for the trail.

3. Micro-adventures

Life in between longer trips can be especially hard since it’s easy to get stuck grieving for the wild parts of you that only emerge during camping or backpacking adventures. Doing trail runs or hikes in your local area is fun and can help lessen the sting, but they still don’t fully provide the escapism or exciting experiences you may be looking for. That’s where micro-adventures come in! Since going on a camping, backpacking, or thru-hiking quest isn’t possible for most people every week, setting aside time for a smaller yet similar type of trip is a great way to quell the thirst for something longer. Especially if you schedule multiple micro-adventures within the span of a month, these trips can give you something to look forward to when you’re missing trail life.

For myself, I feel the best when I have one micro-adventure planned each week or a longer, more substantial micro-adventure every few weeks. The term “micro-adventure” is loosely defined to mean doing something that is exciting and out of the normal routine, yet realistic to achieve in a small amount of time. This can look like exploring a new state park near you or a nature preserve you don’t go to often because it may be an hour or two away. Longer micro-adventures could involve securing a campsite in a park for one night or going for a day hike on a long-distance trail within your state. Recently, my sister and I just booked a two-night stay in a yurt nearby where we grew up! Even though this type of adventure isn’t a multi-night backpacking trip, it is still something I’m so incredibly excited for.

4. Consuming outdoor-related content

The single most accessible way to keep the spirit of adventure alive in your mind while physically away from the trail is to read about other people’s trips and experiences in the backcountry. There are so many hiking, backpacking, and trail running memoirs or non-fiction books that are published each year. While it may trigger feelings of jealousy or intense longing for you to complete your own outdoor adventures, reading stories about other hikers and runners mainly inspires and excites. At least for me, I can’t help but get sentimental and be a cheerleader as people overcome whatever is in their way along their trail-adventures. Below is a list of some of my favorite hiking or trail running related books:

• The Pursuit of Endurance by Jennifer Pharr Davis

• Pack Light: A Journey to Find Myself by Shilletha Curtis

• SOLO by Jenny Tough

• Spirit Run by Noé Álvarez

• Thirst: 2600 Miles to Home by Heather “Anish” Anderson

• Alone in Wonderland by Christine Reed

A few quick notes:

I definitely have a lot more on the list to read now that I am finally out of college and my brain isn’t fried anymore. If there’s a book in mind that you would recommend, type it below in the comments!

Another book I would recommend is Blood Sweat Tears, which is a short story collection written by women+ trail users (I am featured in it as well!) Here is a link to purchase it if you haven’t read it yet:

If committing to reading an entire book isn’t your thing, you can still subscribe to adventure-related Substacks and support independent artists in the process! Other platforms like the hiking and running side of YouTube is also another way to consume content that can be entertaining while in between your own personal outdoorsy adventures.

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See you out on the trail!