THE MENTAL HEALTH BENEFITS OF FAST-HIKING

James Forrest ‘The Mountain Man’ has fast-hiked up all 1,001 recognised mountains across the UK and Ireland, setting a number of peak-bagging records in the process. That feat saw him cover almost 5,000km in distance and ascend the height of Mt Everest from sea level more than 30 times.

Amid these challenging times of the coronavirus pandemic, James talked to us about the benefits that fast-hiking – including short local walks from home – can have on our mental health.

These are challenging, strange times. Lockdown has massively affected the way I live my life – I can’t head out into the mountains and I can’t spend as much time outside. But I’m totally supportive of lockdown and I know any minor inconvenience I’m experiencing is insignificant compared to the bigger picture. We are all in this together and, as a community, we will beat it, thanks in no small part to our amazing NHS workers.

James pre-lockdown, doing what he loves best.

I am following all of the Government guidelines (I’ve even SORN-ed my car). I’m staying positive and coping ok, although I can feel the slow onset of cabin fever. There is one thing that is keeping me sane – my daily walk. I am thoroughly enjoying my daily ‘Boris Bimble’, if you like. I’ve discovered loads of amazing little walks around my home area that I didn’t even know existed: A riverside stroll, a walk along a disused railway line and a dinky hill with epic views. Each walk has improved my mental health and made me feel good. I’ve always loved walking and this is why…

I’m addicted to hiking. I just love it. Sounds geeky, doesn’t it? But I don’t care. In normal circumstances, I head out hiking every weekend and often during the week. If I can’t get out, I become grumpy. I’ve got the bug and I can’t (and don’t want to) kick the habit. But why do I enjoy it so much?

Whenever I spend too much in my office or in a city, I get agitated and frustrated. Whenever I spend time outdoors, especially in wild places, I’m happy and free. Sometimes I wonder why. Many of my close relatives and friends, who have very similar backgrounds and upbringings, don’t have the same urges. But for me, that longing to be outdoors and connected to the landscape feels innate-like it’s the most natural, normal thing in the world.

A pre-pandemic wild camping trip in the Berwyn mountains in Wales.

Keith Foskett, in his excellent book The Last Englishman, sums up this whole concept superbly: “Human beings have spent the vast majority of their existence in the wild – the vast majority. Towns and cities are a relatively recent concept and, although they make us feel secure, we are not meant to be there. They are not our natural surroundings. You will realise pretty quickly that the outdoors is where we were nurtured, where we spent our infancy and where we were raised. It is embedded in us and is as natural as it is comforting.”

Modern life can be stressful. It’s all deadlines and responsibilities, money and paperwork, pinging emails and blaring TVs. But heading out for a hike in the mountains or a forest, you can escape all of this. It’s good for the soul. It’s time for solitude, self-reflection and quiet. You’re surrounded by nature – chatting birds and buzzing insects – and you’re breathing in fresh, invigorating mountain air.

Enjoying a glorious evening on the Aran Ridge in Wales before lockdown.

Just a few hours alone on a trail will clear my head, help me solve problems that have been bothering me for ages, or simply enable me to unwind and de-stress. I find the process of putting one foot in front of the other both therapeutic and healing. It puts things in perspective too. When you’re standing atop an exposed summit, surrounded my glorious views in all directions, life’s little problems seem to fade away. Nothing else really matters when you’re on top of a mountain.

Sometimes I find it difficult to articulate all of this eloquently. So I’ll turn to the words of Alfred Wainwright, the Godfather of hiking in the Lake District, where I Iive. He poetically put it like his: “I was to find a spiritual and physical satisfaction in climbing mountains – and a tranquil mind upon reaching their summits, as though I had escaped from the disappointments and unkindnesses of life and emerged above them into a new world, a better world.”

I’m a goal-orientated person. I love testing myself, going outside my comfort zone, and feeling like I’ve really “achieved” something. Hiking is brilliant for this. What better sense of achievement could there be than self-propelling yourself to the top of a mountain or completing a long-distance trail?

Hiking is a great cardio workout too. Climb a mountain and your heart will be pounding, your lungs heaving and your leg muscles burning. It’s nature’s gym. This exercise gives me a real buzz. I get a hit of endorphins that make me feel good and I enjoy living a fit and healthy lifestyle.

There are still loads of other themes whizzing around my head. I love the simplicity of hiking – when your entire purpose for a day is just to walk from A to B, life gains a wonderful clarity. I love the breathtaking beauty of your surroundings when out in the wild. I love encountering wildlife in its natural habitat and the camaraderie you get out on the trail. I love the way a view can sometimes, unexpectedly, make your soul sing and the exciting or scary or calamitous adventures every walk seems to bring.

I could probably go on and on. But then I’d be rambling – and on that note, I think it’s time for my daily Boris Bimble.

James’s hiking boot of choice is the ROCLITE G 345 GTX featuring revolutionary graphene-enhanced G-GRIP™ outsoles