8 Reasons to go on a trek when you don’t like trekking

Long hikes are really not my cup of tea. But when I found myself in Nepal last year, I noticed all the shops in Kathmandu were selling all kinds of trekking gear and gadgets. Travellers were eagerly stocking up on supplies and were either excited about their upcoming trek or pumped up about the one they had just returned from. I knew people back home who would kill to trek in the Himalayas, others who would spend the entire year at their desk jobs, daydreaming of their booked trekking vacation 9 months from then. “They can’t possibly all be nuts?!”, I thought…

So I decided to give it a shot. Why not— I was already there…

It was a 7-day teahouse trek, meaning there were small cabins where you could spend the night and buy a cup of noodles. The highest pass we had to conquer was at an altitude of 4,610m—just to give you an idea of the challenge.

The first 4 days were physically and mentally exhausting. We suffered from the cold, the lack of water and a shortage of food. To make matters worse, the weather was dreadful. It rained, it was foggy and the skies were permanently grey. In other words, no view. Even though the trek seemed like pointless suffering at the time, there was no turning back.

 

As we pushed through the hardship, I tried to lift my spirits by coming up with reasons to keep going. Here are the 8 reasons aside from magnificent scenery and the astonishing views:

1. To see what you will look like in 10 years if you don’t take care of yourself

The dry air at high altitude turns the grimaces you make while hiking into (permanent?) lines on your face. A lack of showering and grooming, poor nutrition, sleep deprivation and —in my case— not enough drinking water, all leave their mark. There are pimples involved. Bloated faces. Sausage fingers. Frizzy hair. Cracked lips. Filthy nails. Smelly armpits. A general zombie-like expression. You start to resemble the crazy cat lady. Staring back at you in the mirror, is an uglier, neglected and aged version of yourself —a version that swears to start layering on that day cream with SPF the moment you get home.

2. To test your relationship

Whether it’s your relationship with a friend, a lover or a family member, committing to a long-haul trek together will test the bond between you. How will you react to each other’s whining and mood swings? Can you handle each other’s smells after days without a proper shower? These treks can be tough, and may bring out the worst in you or your travel companion(s). Will you still love and care for one another after seeing each other’s dark sides? 

3. To loose weight

I thought walking 6 to 8 hours a day, 5 days a week would instantly shave a few centimetres off my waistline. That’s how it seems to work in those weight loss TV reality shows. Oh, how wrong I was. A full day of exercise is quickly cancelled out by eating 7 Snickers a day for energy. Who would have thought…

3. For the breaks in between

Honestly, the in-between moments were the best part. Joking around with locals. Sitting around an old fashioned wood stove with a cup of ginger tea trying to keep warm while sharing stories. Swapping experiences of your trail. Listening to the sounds of nature. Looking up at the millions of stars. Priceless.

4. To do penance

When the physical pain became almost unbearable and my mind started wandering, I couldn’t help but wonder what the heck I was doing there. I regretted starting at all.
But then, something shifted. It was just easier to… accepted the pain.
As punishment. For everything I’d done wrong. I thought of all the people I’d hurt. The situations I’d messed up out of selfishness. The unkind thoughts I’d had.
And I apologised. To childhood classmates, ex-lovers, family, friends, myself.
I was suffering to atone for my past sins.
I guess this is where you realise that all those years of Catholic school left their mark after all.

5. To remind yourself that you can handle a massive problem, one small step at the time.

Problem: a full week of hiking. My brain couldn’t process it.
So I didn’t. I took it one hour at a time. One day at a time.
That’s how you do it.

6. To have a killer dinner party story to tell

The more pain you felt, and the more miserable the moments were, the better the story becomes.
At the very least, you’ll have some solid anecdotes.

7. For a full technology detox

A whole week off the radar. No wifi, no e-mails, no phone call…
Exactly the way things were when you were 7 years old.
And you know what? It feels amazing. (For a while.)

8. To revive your appetite for life

No running water. No electricity. Nothing good to eat. No favourite distractions. No friends or family around.
It reminds you of everything you’ve got waiting at home. And when you return, a hot shower, a real meal and a warm bed. You’ve never been so grateful. “You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone”, right?

 

For the record: in the end, I did get to see the views. And it was worth it—so, so worth it. That alone was reason enough for me to want to go on another long-haul trek.
Even though I still don’t really like trekking.

Have you ever gone trekking? Would you consider it? 

The post “8 Reasons to go on a trek when you don’t like trekking” first appeared on Travel Cake.