Hiking is good for both the body and the soul, but it can be boring at times. If you’re trekking on a trail with the same landscape all the time, you could get tired of it. Fortunately, there are various ways to make your next hiking excursion more enjoyable.
If you get bored while hiking, you may want to keep yourself occupied by sharing your experience with a companion or group, listening to music or podcasts, playing games on the trail, setting a challenge, and collecting trailside artifacts.
Hiking expeditions can last anything from a few hours to a few days, so plan ahead of time how you will keep yourself engaged on your next hike. Of course, the setting and natural beauty of the area may be enough to keep you busy. Just make sure you have a few more choices.
How to make hiking less boring
It can happen to anyone. You’ve only just begun your journey to being more active when you become bored. Don’t allow boredom to get in the way of your hiking plans. These pointers will make your hiking experience more enjoyable and appealing:
Sharing Your Experience
Bringing company is one of the easiest methods to avoid boredom. Going on a hiking excursion alone is never a smart idea (especially if you intend to stay for more than a day), and having a friend along can help pass the time.
It’s much better if you have enough pals to form a group. Sharing your experiences, telling anecdotes, and just chatting should be gratifying and enjoyable.
When you’re outside and enjoying the company, it’s tougher to get sidetracked by your smartphone. Furthermore, what you consider a boring hike may be an amazing adventure for someone else. Their excitement will rub off on you too.
Eating Well (Using food to motivate yourself)
Bring a snack or pack a lunch to keep you motivated to complete the task. Even a day trek needs something special — imagine enjoying a pre-dawn walk with a steaming travel mug full of wonderful coffee and a breakfast burrito neatly tucked away in your bag.
The thrill of sipping coffee and a burrito while watching the sunrise would make for an unforgettable hike! When it comes to rewarding yourself for getting your kilometers in, think outside the box — a wonderful wrap from the local deli, a Thermos full of soup with freshly baked bread.
Listening To Music or Podcasts
While hiking, listen to a music playlist or a podcast to pass the time and keep your mind engaged to avoid boredom.
Music is an excellent choice because it may energize you and help you maintain a steady pace. However, if you want something a little more mentally engaging, you could always listen to a podcast or audiobook. While walking, you will get through many contents if you listen to it.
Just make sure you have downloaded everything before you go. Nature trails and hiking paths have poor cell phones and wi-fi reception. You don’t want your audio to stop mid-stream because you lost connection.
Playing Games On The Hiking Trail
Playing games is also a great method to keep yourself occupied. If you’re hiking with a friend or a group, consider games like I-spy or 21 questions. This will keep your mind occupied while also allowing you to pay closer attention to your surroundings if the game requires it.
See related: How to Track Someone Traveling
Hiking with children can be challenging due to their short attention spans and low stamina. Games are an excellent method to keep children engaged and motivated throughout the event.
The best games to play during a hike are:
Bingo
On the internet, you can find a plethora of nature bingo cards. Give one to each of your friends and play bingo while you’re at it.
This will have you searching high and low for items on your card while also providing numerous teaching opportunities. So you’ll be outside getting some exercise while also learning to identify plants and animals and learning about nature.
Geocaching
Geocaching is a high-tech global scavenger hunt that uses a handheld GPS to locate hidden caches based on coordinates.
These caches contain a book for you to sign and little tokens for exchange. The caches are concealed in Altoids tins, phony pebbles, or small containers.
This allows you to search for treasure, which will pique your interest. If there aren’t any geocaches nearby, create your own and conceal it for others to locate.
Creating a Challenge
Whether or not your hiking group wishes to participate, you can set some personal goals and challenges for yourself on your hike.
Create a checklist of the plants and animals you might observe on the hiking trail. If you fill it out, you will be able to treat yourself to a reward once the hike is completed.
You could also want to set fitness goals, such as how far you can run in one day or how much weight you can carry. Set no extreme ambitions that could be unsafe or unhealthy, but instead, see whether you can progress over time.
Collecting Trailside Artifacts
Most hikers enjoy picking up small trinkets along the way. Depending on your tastes, you can find cool rocks, plants, antlers, flowers, feathers, and many more items.
Check to see if collecting things in your area is permissible, as some states prohibit the gathering of specific antiques. If you’re concerned about breaking these guidelines, you may always collect photos instead. Taking a few images will help you remember your hike visually.
Bring Entertainment to the Campsite
If you hike for more than a day, you will surely encounter the long evenings and nights that come with it. It may be difficult to find methods to entertain yourself after setting up camp and eating meals. That is why you should always pack some camping entertainment with you.
Card games and board games are fantastic for a group, but you may also bring something just for you. Journals, sketchbooks, novels, and musical instruments are also excellent choices.
You can also spend time exploring the area around the camp or relaxing by the fire.
Why people love hiking
Hiking is popular because it provides several physical and social benefits. Being outside on a trail allows you to experience nature and fresh air.
It can help relieve stress, worry, and sadness while clearing your thoughts and reconnecting with yourself. Furthermore, it is also simple, calm, and accessible to anybody.
Nature Appreciation
Hiking is one of the best methods to appreciate nature’s beauty. Hiking allows you to go through the verdant surroundings and marvel at the beauty of the peaceful river waters or the lively waterfalls. The experience is out of this world.
It’s Peaceful
Even if you’re a fast walker, trekking requires you to slow down. Hiking is about being in the moment and unplugging. Hiking allows you to reflect, listen to the natural environment, talk with your friends, and expand your intellect.
It’s Healthy
Hiking is not only good for cardiovascular health and muscle tone because it works every part of your body, but it can also help you sleep better. Hiking has been shown in studies to reduce stress levels, which aids in better sleep.
It’s for everyone
Because hiking is such a broad pastime, everyone can participate. Families with small children, elders who enjoy wildflowers, new friends parties, and those seeking solitude.
There is no sense of competition on a trek—there is no race! Making it to your target, whether it’s a waterfall, a lookout, or a summit ridge, is a worthy goal. That’s a pleasant feeling.
See related: Is hiking for everyone?
You’re not a hiker
As enjoyable as hiking is, let’s face it, it isn’t for everyone. Here’s how to tell if hiking isn’t your thing:
You are Physically Unfit
You may not be as fit as you would like to be. So, when a friend invites you to climb a tiny mountain, and you realize you’ve spent the last several months mostly glued to a laptop on a plush red couch, you’re not going to have the best time.
Climbing uphill for more than an hour can be extremely taxing on your calves. Even the strongest calves can become afflicted, and walking downhill with jelly-legs never ends well.
You are not Enticed by the Views/Landscapes (enough)
Sure, visiting the Incan ruins along the trek to Machu Picchu may appeal to you. But the ruins and panoramic views aren’t enough to tempt you to trek the Inca Trail.
You Become Bored after More than 2 hours of Looking at the Same Scenery
Some hikes consist of nothing but the same view for hours on end. Sure, it could be fantastic and innovative for the first hour. But by hour six, you’re so bored that you begin to think about all the things you despise about hiking.
You’re not a Big Fan of Being Outside
You may enjoy staring out a great window at the outdoors, but truly interacting with it is a different matter. The outdoors can be hot, dirty, and infested with bugs and other creatures that may bite you. You also hate the idea of relieving yourself outside.
If you can identify with any of these, you might not be a hiker.
Bottom Line
Hiking is a pleasant and enjoyable hobby, but it is possible to become tired of it after a while. This may happen on the route, at the campsite, or even at home. Bring entertainment with you on your next trip, hike with a group, and allow yourself enough time to appreciate the experience thoroughly.
Sources
https://tyeeoutdoorexperience.com/2016/08/05/8-ways-turn-boring-hike-adventure-kids/
https://abeautifulspace.co.uk/how-to-make-walking-less-boring/
https://www.theordinaryadventurer.com/adventure/walkingisrael/22-tips-for-thru-hiking/
