Why the Wilderness?

I have always loved getting outside, especially for multi-day backpacking trips in beautiful areas. I have used these types of trips as resets for myself and a way to take a breath in the midst of how busy life can feel. As a student at CC I was assigned readings that made me questions why I find backpacking to be such a good reset. I read Crohnon's piece that calls pristine wilderness a myth and social construct and it made me wonder if people who spend time in the wilderness see it as a construct or something more.

To try and figure this out I thought I would ask other people who willingly choose to spend complete the Colorado Trail. The Colorado Trail is a 486 mile hiking trail that goes from Denver CO to Durango CO, it typically takes between 4 and 6 weeks to complete and is done from June to September. I started my hike the last week of August in 2022. I asked the other thru-hikers I met a series of questions aimed at identifying people's motivations for thru hiking and goals in undertaking such an adventure. Here is what I asked and the answers I got.

Question #1: Why did you choose to hike the Colorado Trail/thru hike in general?

I have been coming to Colorado multiple times a year since childhood and the CT is more manageable than the 3 long trails. I needed to get away from life and get back on course.

I live in CO now and have wanted to thru-hike, but the triple crown trails all seem to long. Additionally, I have the flexibility in my school/work to do this, and it felt important.

Always wanted to explore the midwest

Immerse myself in new places with new people and see a beautiful part of the country

I am a last minute planner and no need for a permit for the Colorado Trail. And I thought I would have no rain. I like to thru-hike for freedom.

I hiked on the PCT last year and absolutely loved the experience of thru hiking, the freedom and ability to live harmoniously with nature. It is my last year in school in CO so I thought it would be cool to see the state via walking.

Question #2: What do you hope to gain from the experience?

I wanted to gain confidence, independence, and a greater sense of presence

Ability to accept and make space for difficult thoughts and feelings, increased ease with psychological flexibility, immersion in natural settings with birds and plants and fungi, meeting and learning from other hikers out here

I would like to gain some great friends

I hope to gain the perspectives of those around me and get a better sense of what the land offers

Freedom, confidence. I love meeting new people, I love nature, I wanted to disconnect from technology, I love not to have network (cell service).

I wanted to gain confidence in myself and my ability to make decisions, I also wanted to finish a thru hike and have that sense of accomplishment

Question #3: What has been the best part so far?

Seeing that I can do more than I thought I could

So much fresh air, living with the rhythm of nature

The people I have met/what great people

Sitting outside the fire station with all of us, watching the thunderstorms roll in

The people, the beautiful landscape, being able to make it by yourself.

Seeing that I am stronger than I thought and meeting a ton of cool people, the thru hiking community is AMAZING

Going into this project I had the goal of collecting 20 responses. After 200miles on trail, however I hurt my foot and had to stop hiking. This injury, and how late in the season I was on trail limited how many people I interacted with and how many responses I was able to get. Even with only 6 responses, I still see interesting information emerge.

There seems to be a pattern of wanting to thru hike for the freedom and ability to have a large reset from everyday life. There was also an air of adventure/exploration to the responses I got and the people I met. These responses makes sense to me given that if you are setting out on an adventure of that magnitude you are probably someone who enjoys the unknown at least a little bit and enjoy freedom having almost total freedom from day to day.

The responses to the second questions were the most similar across the board. Except one person, everyone mentioned something about wanting to expand their mental capacity, wether that be confidence, learning from the land, or a sense of feedom. I find this interesting because it seems like there is a pattern of people believing that spending time outside for weeks on end will have a positive effect on their mental state. This makes me think that the wilderness and the effects of being outside are more than just a construct.

The responses to the third question I found interesting because over half of them mention the other people as part of what they have liked best so far. This is facisnating because only two of the responses to the second questions mention other people. It seems like the community of other thru hikers was not something that many of us expected but was something that made the experience what it was. This makes me think that humans really are super social, even when we go into a situation wanting to have time alone with "nature" the other people around us are still a highlight of the experience.

While I do not have concrete answers to why people choose to thru hike or how they conceptualize nature I have a better idea. It seems to me that people see thru hiking as a way to reset and gain personal confidence and freedom in their lives. While this may not always be the case it seems like most people who thru hike do not do so without significant thought, it is not simply on a whim, it is important to those who participate. The reasons vary but it is not random or meaningless.