The Benefits of Hiking and Climbing - Becoming a Human Animal

When I first went off to the wilderness I washelp you to be healthy and have a happy life and
with a small group of kids who all had asthmait often fits in more easily with a work schedule.
eczema, diabetes, epilepsy, cystic fibrosis or someBut if your goal is perhaps wider than this and
such ailment. I attended a special boarding schoolyou wish to make your muscle, and become
for kids who suffered from different illnesses towhat you do and you wish to influence the
the point that they would usually be permanentlyoutcome of this decision to its then consider
hospitalised. Our first 'wilderness' camping trip tookevery aspect of your day (s). Think about what
all of these ten and eleven year olds out to a fieldexercise you are doing and what kind of person
in the south east of england. It was surroundedyou are becoming by repeatedly doing this type
by ancient woodland, huge lakes and nothing butof exercise. If that's who and what you wish to
countryside. We had to get our water from abecome brilliant! If however your soul isn't inspired
natural spring and cook over a fire and sleep inon the running machine, and the weights just
tents.aren't doing it for you; head for the rocks and the
The benefits of this trip for children who maywild country.
never have been into the countryside let alone toGet some proper professional guidance, join a
stay in it for a weekend; were innumerable. A lotlocal Adventuring Club and get to know people
us hadn't been able to go to school; were morewho are already climbing/hiking on their
used to looking at a ceiling from a hospital bedweekends, take your holiday with a well known
and hearing the sound of traffic rather than birdAdventure Sports School and kayak around a wild
song.and remote coastline. Learn to work with horses,
I remember sitting in a canoe in the middle of alearn to ski and then travel cross country by your
thunder storm with the rain drenching me. I waspreferred method. An adventure sport is exactly
watching a heron as it caught an eel and thenthat it means you reach within yourself for
took it's meal to the shore not five feet from myqualities you didn't know you had and you only
boat. I felt vibrantly alive, the contrast was sofind them because you're outdoors and the
great. Not a year before my mother had beenweather's closing in and you have to make
convinced I was going to die. I had severedecisions, or because you have to get a fire going
eczema that had worsened to the point of germand there's only wet wood available. They may
warfare carrying itself out energetically betweenvery well be simple decisions like knowing when to
the layers of my skin and driving me literally madput on extra layers and take them off or
with pain. My Mum had fought to get me a placeknowing when to call it quits and rest up, but they
in this special school and it had saved my life.give you an edge; they give you a life.
(Pilgrims School has sadly since closed due toExercise is a funny thing, it's come about because
government cuts). Now I was out paddling aour lifestyle has changed so drastically that it does
canoe by myself, collecting my own water,not create the opportunities for us to be at our
running among giant trees, and waking up to theabsolute fittest. We may think ourselves lucky as
gentle sounds of the birds.women that many of us don't have to do laundry
The health benefits of being in the outdoors aren'tor bake bread by hand anymore and that we
simply about the physical. Improved circulation,don't have to walk to collect water and wood, but
excellent cardiovascular fitness and normalit was these simple things, done everyday that
elimination that combine to provide that naturalkept us superbly strong and fit and often
'glow' are the expected benefits of any constantdelivering baby after baby and let's face it that's
exercise regime.got to be like climbing Everest again and again!
Hiking and climbing have particular qualities that willThere's a balance involved and it's one we have
make you more flexible, have greater enduranceto give great care and attention to because
and provide you with the ability to focus oneverything we do has an effect. As well as
whatever tasks you begin. But most of all, theymaking our own lives, we are impacting upon
are the ways you choose to make your life. 'Weeveryone else's lives and upon the collective
are what we repeatedly do' Aristotle said andfuture of the planet. This is what makes us so
exercise outdoors in nature makes us more thanpowerful. As women we have the ability to
simply 'fit'. I would add to Aristotle's phrase thatcreate within us - it is a natural power or energy
not only are we what we repeatedly do, but wethat not enough of us connect with and the very
are where we do it and how we go about doingreason that tribal societies had 'moon times or
it. In beautiful places you breathe in that beauty,'moon lodges', it's not superstition - but respect.
you press pure oxygen into every part of yourPart of getting in touch with the outdoors through
body and you experience the freedom of anhiking/climbing and other outdoor sports conditions
unobstructed skyline.us to be in touch with ourselves and with the
In wilderness pursuits, some of that wildnessenergy's that move through all lives. Our ears are
passes into your bones. 'Ingwe, one of theopened, our senses alerted and we are keenly
founders of the Wilderness Awareness Schoolswitched on to everything around us and within
born M. Norman Powell in 1914... spent his childhoodus. In the city where we have to turn off our
running barefoot through the plains of Kenya withawareness most of the time to stay sane
the young warriors of the neighboring Akambaamongst the noise and the onslaught of modern
tribe. Adopted into their tribe, Ingwe learned howlife, we have limited circumstances to be 100%
to live close to the Earth.' one of his students saidalive. Our bodies truly become what we breathe,
of him 'The first thing that you notice whenwhat we eat and drink and what we do, and our
you're in a room with him, it really and truly feelsspirits are reflected in those things
like you're in the presence of a Leopard. Honestly.Be your potential: you don't settle for second
His eye contact is difficult to meet and you feelbest, or third rate. Let the earth sing through
like at any moment, if he chose to, he could leapyour actions everyday and let the words of your
across the room, kill you, and be back in his chairunique song ring out to the people who are really
before anyone knew what had happened. Thein need of it. For only you can carry some of that
second thing I noticed was that he had betterfresh air from the wilderness back, in the lightness
senses than anyone I have ever met. He can see,of your step, and only you can carry back some
hear and smell things that I can only dream of. Hisof that pure water in your blood and in your fresh
senses, like his presence, are those of a huntingcomplexion; back to the places where people
cat.' When this student asked Ingwe how he couldhave forgotten what it is to be a human animal, in
do these things Ingwe answered simply 'Practice'.sync with everything around us, between sky and
So if your goal is to become fitter, you can go tostone.
the gym or the pool and become gym fit andThese are the benefits of hiking and climbing and
pool fit and that is a great and good thing - it willother outdoor pursuits.