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As a person who walked 8/15 hours for two months straight I can relate to most of the statements written by the author. I believe that listening to music or oth

As a person who walked 8/15 hours for two months straight I can relate to most of the statements written by the author. I believe that listening to music or other recordings takes away from the experience and the mental gains that walking provides, and this is why I skip the headphones during my adventures. I can attest that after 10 days of continuous autonomous movement the mind switches to a "primordial" state that, as a non academic, I believe can be very easily attributable to our nomadic, hunter-gatherer past. Attention gets sharper, acumen rings free, the range of senses expands, creative impulses flourish and it's easier to perform tasks in unexpectedly smart ways. I suggest those who would like to give it a try embark on a walking adventure that is at least two weeks long, either on pilgrimage routes (which offer great views and allow one to save money thanks to the hospitality options available) like the Camino de Santiago de Compostela / Fatima or long trails such as the Appalachian Trail.

DynamicStatic 5y ago
I mostly agree but I don't think avoiding to listen to stuff all the time is great either. I walked the pct for 5 months and listened to plenty of books and podcasts and they gave me many good ideas. I would often lose myself in the ideas and the podcasts would just ramble on in the background like white noise. My only regret is not noting not thoughts down.
marttt 5y ago
Did you experience mental breakdowns of any kind while you were walking?
- tomcooks 5y ago
  None whatsoever aside from the usual post-adventure depression. I've met several persons lost on pilgrimage routes due to mental breakdowns. It's a know problem, people find happiness and an alternative life during a pilgrimage and keep on walking the routes back and forth through Europe until they run out of money and then become homeless. At the beginning of the French route towards Santiago de Compostela you might still find some mental health counseling offices.
  - marttt 5y ago
    > It's a know problem, people find happiness and an alternative life during a pilgrimage and keep on walking the routes back and forth through Europe until they run out of money and then become homeless. Really interesting, thanks for sharing this. I've never been on a pilgrimage, but the mental side does seem to have similarities with a 10-day Vipassana meditation retreat then. Occasionally, (beginning) meditators may experience something similar: struggling to re-enter the "real world" when the camp is over. That's why the last few days of a retreat are structured in a manner that prepares people for a "soft landing" in daily life. Most interesting to hear, though, that this phenomenon can be so serious in case of pilgrimages.
    - tomcooks 5y ago
      I'm doing some research and publishing related to how to try and tackle the problem, if you're interested sign up at my site

DynamicStatic 5y ago

I mostly agree but I don't think avoiding to listen to stuff all the time is great either. I walked the pct for 5 months and listened to plenty of books and podcasts and they gave me many good ideas. I would often lose myself in the ideas and the podcasts would just ramble on in the background like white noise. My only regret is not noting not thoughts down.

marttt 5y ago

Did you experience mental breakdowns of any kind while you were walking?

tomcooks 5y ago
None whatsoever aside from the usual post-adventure depression. I've met several persons lost on pilgrimage routes due to mental breakdowns. It's a know problem, people find happiness and an alternative life during a pilgrimage and keep on walking the routes back and forth through Europe until they run out of money and then become homeless. At the beginning of the French route towards Santiago de Compostela you might still find some mental health counseling offices.
- marttt 5y ago
  > It's a know problem, people find happiness and an alternative life during a pilgrimage and keep on walking the routes back and forth through Europe until they run out of money and then become homeless. Really interesting, thanks for sharing this. I've never been on a pilgrimage, but the mental side does seem to have similarities with a 10-day Vipassana meditation retreat then. Occasionally, (beginning) meditators may experience something similar: struggling to re-enter the "real world" when the camp is over. That's why the last few days of a retreat are structured in a manner that prepares people for a "soft landing" in daily life. Most interesting to hear, though, that this phenomenon can be so serious in case of pilgrimages.
  - tomcooks 5y ago
    I'm doing some research and publishing related to how to try and tackle the problem, if you're interested sign up at my site