Hiking Solo vs. With Friends

Cutting right to the chase, I love both, and there are obvious benefits to both, whether you’re a writer or not. If you’re with friends, you get those connection points—those laughs and stories—that fill your cup for weeks to come. They leave you feeling bonded, especially if you overcome something big together like climbing a mountain.

But if you hike alone, it gives you space to think through things that are happening in regular life. They might be challenges you are facing or maybe you could simply use a second to make sure there’s nothing you’re forgetting about. That time alone in the woods (or on a mountain) can give you a chance to hit the reset button.

The Yin and Yang of It

Lately I’ve been alternating as much as I can. Frankly, life is about people and sharing experiences with them, and I want more of that in the future. The trickiest part with that is I like to climb during the week so I can dedicate the weekend to my family. This makes it difficult for my schedule to line up with a buddy’s who might like to tackle a mountain as well. How to balance. How to balance…

But as an eternal optimist (and I am, I’ve been diagnosed), there is a silver lining when a friend can’t make a trek with me: I can spend more time thinking about what I want to write. And the thoughts do come more readily when I’m alone on a mountain trail. Especially a mountain trail. Sure, when I’m out for a little hike in the woods near my house, a thought or two might spring to mind. Maybe a poem. But when I’m in that deep meditative state that one can only get through the sustained effort of climbing a mountain, alone with their thoughts, the words come in a torrent.

Finding the Balance

I wonder if that’s the Universe’s way of keeping me from getting lonely out there. Because this week’s hike on Paugus was very lonely. I could have certainly used some more company. Even a chipmunk or two would have been nice, but there was nobody. It was one of the few times that I wished I had made my way to a more popular hiking trail—even an extremely popular one. I would have even preferred—gasp—the summit of Mount Washington! I wanted people to talk to. On the other hand, I got at least a couple thousand more words of ideas for the book I’m working on, three or four solid poem ideas, and a ton of ideas about what to write in general. So, I was lonely. But I wasn’t.

The Writing Process

Hiking and climbing have become an integral part of my writing process. I usually get out for a little nature walk each day of the week, with one big climb somewhere around Wednesday (if time allows). After those days, I always feel a huge surge of new ideas.