The Power Of Walking

When I was reading the book ‘De kracht van wandelen’ I immediately understood the 42 reasons, because most of them are the reason I hike too. In this blog I will walk through the 42 reasons mentioned in this book with explanation and examples of my hiking life. I will start with translating the title of the book ‘ De kracht van wandelen' means The power of hiking. And no, sorry there is no English version of this book.

Hiking With A Question, Goal Or Vision

The book is based on Shinrin-Yoku, which is a kind of hiking with a question, goal or vision. When I was training for the Camino de Santiago The Portugues route I asked ‘Wandelen Naar Inzicht’ to introduce me into hiking long routes on my own. This was my question, my vision was hiking from Lissabon to Santiago de Compostela and my goal was being able to read signs on the way, keep healthy and hike save through two countries. I succeed in doing this in 2016.

Art Of Hiking

Hiking is different from walking, when hiking I uses my senses to smell, see and hear my hiking surroundings. I wonder and like the silence I hear during a hike through nature, but I also like to wonder about the noise I hear during a city hike. The surrounding is on each hike different. It doesn’t matter if I walk the same path or another route.

The Best Path

There is no easy answer to this question. When I am tired hiking on the beach or in nature is the best option, but is not always available. The best path then is hiking without letting the surroundings in for a while. This is the way to center and keep healthy. At the end of such a hike I am revised, I look around again wondering and curious about my surroundings.

Being Aware Of My Surroundings

I love to take pictures when hiking. I always encounter beautiful, strange or unknown things. It is a moment I take of the hike to beware of the diversion. I first look or take a picture and then I keep looking. Sometimes I see other things around the diversion. I never forget to continue, but it is a way to be aware of a moment and that hiking is not only about walking.

Silence During A hike

I have a whole blog dedicated to the Silence of the Camino, read 'The Silence Of The Camino' to get this point.

The Happiness After A hike

I think it is like runners high, the happiness I feel after a hike. I can't tell for sure because my encounter with running wasn't a happy one (Blog 'Running on sand, never, never again'). My encounter with hiking in 2009 made me instantly happy, after that I kept on hiking, and I am still hiking.

‘Uitwaaien’

I like the Dutch word ‘Uitwaaien’ there is no English word for it that comes near. ‘Uitwaaien’ means getting some fresh air and also literary getting out of my head in the now or putting thoughts in perspective. This point is mentioned twice by the author because it is an important part of hiking getting headspace by putting things in perspective, the thoughts are blown away.

Kleine Stappen, Grote Gevolgen (Small Steps, Big Consequences)

When I hike my head is fresh and empty after a while and then comes the creativity. Sometimes this result comes after the walk. It is the inspiration of the hike itself and the surroundings of the hiking route. The solutions and new projects keep coming in. The only thing I have to do after a walk is sleep on them, choose the best solutions and the new projects which will get on my to do list.

Enjoy The Hike

Hiking isn't about being the best, getting the result, but it is the way to the result that counts. On the Camino it was about getting into the rhythm of eating, hiking and sleeping, repeat. I incorporated this in my daily life, since 2016. No I don't hike every day, but I surely walk or take the time every day. I have a blog dedicated to this art: 'The pace of walk'.

Hiking Alone

Hiking alone delivers the best result. It is ME time and relax time. It is also about an empty head and solutions to questions pouring in when rested. It is not about hiking alone all the time, not go on guided tours or organized hikes. It is about finding a moment for myself in the hike.

According To Nietzsche I Can Walk Away From Every illness

Hiking is healthy, because it is a way to empty my head, get rested and reset. These three help to reach how Nietzsche sees hiking: I can walk away from every illness. There is another saying like that: an apple a day keeps the doctor away.

Hiking In Repeat

'I love hiking', it is also a title of another blog. It is something that makes me happy. Makes me set things in perspective and get rest. But it can also be tyring physically, when hiking long dinstances or hiking a few days in a row.

Walking Is The Means Of Transport With Which I See The Most Of My Surroundings

Hiking is the slowest mean of transport and because of that the best way to see everything on the route. Everything is a bit to much, but for sure a lot. Noticing things when hiking means that I am in the moment and not somewhere else with my head.

The Mountains Of The Netherlands

Hiking in The Netherlands means hiking flat. There are hills in the east and south of The Netherlands (Pieterpad). The rest of The Netherlands is below sea level, which means it is an easy way to learn to hike and make kms.

I Joined The Pilgrim Club

By hiking the Camino Portugues I joined the pilgrim club. It is not more than that I hiked the whole Camino in 2016 for days and got to Santiago de Compostela. Hiking the Camino means getting the best out of myself and meeting the daily life in small every day again on the Camino.

My Hike

My hike is different from everybody else. No one can hike my hike and I can't hike the hike of others. It is like life; my life lessons are mine and the life lessons of others are theirs.

Hiking A Route Means Being Alert On The Route

When I am hiking a route, I have to be aware of the signs I have to follow and/ or the route on paper. Still there is room to see my surroundings. It is different from hiking without a route, then I am just walking to nowhere.

Walk Of Wisdom

The writer mentions the Walk Of Wisdom as one of the routes to find room in my head. I think all hiking routes can bring headspace. Even hiking in busy surroundings during rush hour. It is about the intention I am walking with.

42 Reasons To Hike

The author mentions in the book 42 reasons to hike. Some of them don't appeal to me:

• The book: Rêveries du promeneur solitaire 

• Hiking is trendy

• Geocaching

• Tao

• Stille omgang (Silent intercourse)

• Strolling

• Frontrunners

• Hiking dates

• Walk in protest

• Green walking

• The book: Wandelenderwijs

Pilgrim Stories

I love to read about the reasons why people hike a certain route. On the Camino this is sometimes the only question asked when two pilgrims meet. It makes me wonder, think and set life in perspective. Everybody has a story and every story is worth it. But I don't need to know every story from everybody and not everybody needs to know my story.

Coming Home After A Hike

I wrote a blog about coming home full of stories after a travel, 'Coming home after a trip'. The same can be said after a hike. Each hike is an adventure and sometimes they leave tales behind in my head I want to share. My blog and articles are the way I love to share these stories.

Even Walking To Work Can Be A Hike

A hike is when walking is more important than the end goal. When I am walking to be on time somewhere it is a walk, but when I hike to get somewhere, and the time is not important it is a hike.

Hiking Is An Easy Way To Talk

When I am hiking with others we sometimes talk. It easier to talk to people when walking then when sitting or giving a presentation. The staring is the difference. On a hike or walk I am looking at the path in front of me and sometimes to my talking partner, which makes it easier to talk. The other is not completely concentrated on me and I am not completely concentrated on the other. But the words and the story come in even better because there is no diversion. Sometimes this can be called coaching like in the blog: 'And then I was a tour guide'.

Hiking Barefoot

I love to hike barefoot on the beach in the Spring, summer and autumn. The winter is still to much for me, because I walk on the shore and get wet feet from the sea touching my feet. On other hikes I prefer my hiking shoes. I have a blog about hiking almost all 40 kms in two days shoeless on the beach: 'I walk barefoot from Scheveningen to Zandvoort'.

Most Hiking Routes Are Old Church Paths Or Trading Paths

Today most hiking paths are marked, or I can get a book describing them. This is different from the Middle Ages when pilgrims hiked to Santiago or merchants walked from city to city to sell their goods. These routes/paths are now mostly used by recreational hikers to hike or think about their life.

Hiking Is Relaxing But Also Tiring

When hiking my head gets empty and I get space for everything life throws at me and of course also for new creativity. Hiking is fatiguing when I hike on high speed, when there are hills or mountains or when walking long distances.

Hiking Can Be Done Everywhere 

Going for a hike is easy. I just get out of my house, and I am walking. It becomes a hike when my destination is not the most important part. Hiking is different from other sports, because when swimming I need water and for tennis, I need at least some space to hit the ball.

The Desire To Hike

The desire to hike is in me. If I can choose between hiking, biking or public transport. I choose hiking. It is the way to know my surroundings and rest before reaching my destination. When hiking and being on public transport I have to be different aware of my surroundings then in a car or bike. With the last two options I have to be alert on the whole part of the route, and I have to be aware of others, anticipating and participating the whole time in traffic.

Calculated Hiking

When I am hiking calculated this means I am hiking the shortest route or hiking for a reason. After the calculated hike I have a solution, a destination, etc.

Over The Horizon

When hiking over the horizon I am hiking new territories. I must be aware of myself, my surroundings, my tiredness, my food and water intake. It means that I don't know a lot about the route I am hiking, or I am hiking to lose weight. The last one is rare with me, but I did this a few times after stopping medicine to lose the weight I got for free with the medicine.

Wanderlust

Wanderlust is on each hike I take. I wonder a lot about my surroundings. There is a lot happing around me if I look. And not everything is ordinary. The not ordinary things make me wonder and look better to see if it is normal or not. Sometimes it is just a different culture when abroad, other times it is just not normal for me and most of the time it is just someone reacting on something happing and then it becomes also ordinary in that setting.

Lot Of Writers Get Inspiration Out Of Hiking

A lot of writers go on hikes when writing their book or hike and keep a dairy that becomes a book. I am not a writer, but I consider myself a blogger. I blog a lot about the things I encounter when hiking or walking.