Hiking: A Shared Activity To Enhance Your Relationship

Don’t Try This At Home!

Most relationship gurus will give couples the advice that each person should have time to pursue individual hobbies and interests.

I completely agree with the importance of this, and I want to build on that popular mantra by saying that in addition to separate activities, a couple should also make sure they have shared activities that they can regularly pursue together.

One of the greatest examples of this is hiking.

My partner and I didn’t have a lot in common when we started dating.

We are from completely different parts of the world (literally), we grew up leading very dissimilar lifestyles, and we had extremely different tastes and interests.

Pursuing individual pastimes was not difficult for us – it was actually more of a challenge to find activities we could enjoy together!

And Then Hiking Saw The Light of Day

One day my partner suggested the idea of us going hiking together.

I had been hiking many times prior to this, but since we started dating, hadn’t had as much time.

I was a bit hesitant at first because she wasn’t really an ‘outdoorsy’ type of girl, so I chose our first trail very carefully.

I tried to make sure it was relatively easy, but still scenic enough that she might fall in love with hiking.

To my surprise, she did, and she has become as keen of an advocate for the activity as I am!

We both look forward to going hiking every weekend, and we even plan our vacations to include hiking adventures. It has brought us much closer together as a couple.

Sharing Is Caring

There are many reasons why hiking is such a great shared interest to have.

The biggest is that it has a very low barrier to entry in terms of both cost and skill level.

It is not difficult to find a nearby hiking trail, and you really don’t need that much equipment when you go for less than a day – just some water and emergency supplies.

As long as you choose the trail to suit your skill level, there is almost no learning curve.

Being Adventurous

Another great thing that it brings to a couple is a shared sense of adventure.

Climbing a trail to a viewpoint and being rewarded with a fantastic vista is rewarding in and of itself, but when you can share that awe-inspiring effect with the person you love, it is exponentially better! Even something like having a dangerously close encounter with a bear can bring you closer together.

You will share the memory of that adventure with each other for the rest of your lives (but please do make sure that you employ proper hiking safety precautions to keep you and your partner safe!).

Experience Calm

Walking through forests and valleys, up mountains, and down canyons will create a calming effect for both of you.

There have been many times where my partner and I will have had a disagreement, but any resentment that stems from it immediately dissipates as soon as we start to plan our next hike, or take that first step on a new trail.

Human beings are, after all, creatures of nature, and we are not meant to be cooped up all the time in office buildings and apartments.

Getting out in the wilderness really does have a therapeutic effect that cannot be overstated.

This will translate to your relationship when you go hiking together.

Why I Recommend It…

Hiking really has become a staple of my relationship.

It is something that allows us to work together, and share incredible experiences with each other.

Because it is relatively easy to get started, I would highly recommend it to any couple as something to pursue together.

It is extremely important to be well informed when you go hiking. Visit that link for great info on how to get started, what to bring with you, and how to stay safe on the trails!

Speak Your Mind, With Your Opinion

Nice to see you made it to the end of the post. Here’s what you can do next:

• Where would you like to go for your first hike?
• Would your partner be interested, do you think?
• Click one of the Share buttons – your friends can then enjoy this article too.

And thanks for reading too – Let us know your thoughts in the comments.