Obsession or necessity?

Haynes Reservoir, Leominster, MA 20 Sep 2014

       Hiking appears to be an obsession of mine and maybe it is. I'd argue it's become medically necessary.  Depends on how you define obsession. I do try to take a walk into the woods at least once a day as often as possible. Today I fit in three little walks, one right after church along Paradise Pond, one to this reservoir between laundry, and one more at Prospect Park in Leominster as laundry finished up and before the sun set.  Fall is a hectic season with school starting back up, it is peaceful scenes like the one above that give me my serenity to face the chaos again.

I believe everyone tries to have balance in their life.  Faith, family and friends are top priorities in my life.  Today, church with family and friends came first, then lunch and chores with family, then I fit in what walks I can. Finding a balance with what's important and what's necessary is tough.  Chores and work often cut into enjoyable activities. I am lucky to have a job I really enjoy and find rewarding as well as the blessings of a home to take care of.

Hiking and exploring the woods began really early. My Mom shared that she use to have to tie me to the clothes line outside or I would escape into the woods as young as 2 and 3. By age 4 I was off exploring, my Mummu took me on walks and showed me berries I could eat and leaves I could chew on.  I still remember finding these peppermint and spearmint leaves with her.  We lived in a home surrounded by woods, and many trails.  I found some trails that are still favorites today in Hager Park and the Midstate Trail sections in Westminster.

I continued to explore the woods throughout my childhood and into adolescence.  In my teens I became very angry, and later found out it was depression.  I still visited the woods when I could but school and work cut into much of my free time.  By early 20s I was still very much fighting depression and started on medication.  I needed the medication to finish college and raise my young son.  I tried to go off medication when I got married at age 23 but a year later I needed them again. For years I was off and on medication for depression. The side effects were minor but I could tell that my feelings were suppressed.  At the same time I was gaining weight as an emotional eater and that triggered high blood pressure. Soon I was taking medication for both.  This depressed me further to know I was needing meds in my 30s.

It was while sitting in a doctor's office in 2007 that I stumbled upon a magazine article describing a hobby called letterboxing. I was intrigued as it was about treasure hunting in the woods. This brought me back to my childhood days looking for neat things to explore in the woods nearby.  That June I set out and starting searching for local letterboxes. I found so many trails right in my Leominster neighborhood. I was soon hooked and looking for them everywhere.  Then I just started to enjoy hiking the trails. That summer I lost 20 pounds. This was great, I was feeling better and losing weight.  I continued to letterbox but then also starting hiking just to hike.  A year later, I am down another 30 pounds and feelings so strong that I stopped my anti-depressants.  My blood pressure was also down and I cut the meds in half, a year later of continuous hiking and I didn't need them at all!

Hiking has helped me stay med free for over 5 years now and my weight has stayed the same. I would like to lose more and still working on that.  As long as I hike I am healthy; spiritually, mentally, and physically.  The medicinal effects of hiking are amazing, I can talk to God during my hikes, problem solve, and burn a lot of calories.  The obsession is that I enjoy hiking so much that I'd like to find a trail and stay on the trail for a long time...but alas, now is not the time, nor the season.  I know hiking isn't for everyone. It's about finding your passion and carving out time for it so that it adds to your life.

Happy Trails!!