I Don’t Really Like Hiking—So Why Am I Hiking the PCT?

I keep finding myself at a loss for words when I try to explain why I’m hiking the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). Of course, there are some obvious reasons. But there are also less obvious ones—thoughts swimming somewhere deep in my mind that I’m having trouble catching and stringing together.

Let’s start with the obvious.

My dad is going, which means I have someone to help me out—and that takes away a lot of stress. I have the savings. I’ve built up the physical stamina and strength from over a year of CrossFit, and I can easily detach from my life here.

There’s also the data—studies show that being in nature is healing. It helps you think clearly, solve problems, and come up with new ideas. And then there’s the experience: my dad has done the trail before, and every thru-hiker (including him) recommends it for personal growth. (I’ll let you know exactly why once I figure it out myself.)

And then there’s the part I can’t explain… the je ne sais quoi. This is actually why this post took me so long to write. I can’t quite put my finger on why I feel called to hike for six months…especially when I don’t even particularly like hiking.

So let’s start there.

What is this gut feeling? This pull of intuition telling me to spend six months hiking, spend all my money, quit my job, and leave behind the community I’ve worked hard to build? It’s a sacrifice, for sure.

It feels like this has been arranged for me—the right thing at the right time in my life. I finally figured out how to push myself physically. I have the money. My dad is going. My job, my freedom, the lack of anything or anyone tying me down—everything fits together like pieces of a puzzle.

In other words, the stars aligned for me to hike the PCT.

It doesn’t really matter that I don’t like hiking (I find hiking a bit boring.) Nature isn’t something you simply like or dislike—it’s the foundation of this planet. Whether I realize it or not, I already have a relationship with nature.

When it comes to deepening that relationship, nature seems to only offer good things: peace, healing, clarity, new ideas.

So maybe it’s not about hiking at all.

It’s about the kind of environment this creates. One that challenges me. One that sits with me in silence. One that opens my mind to think and allows me to be fully myself.

It’s a place where people dance with joy and weep in sorrow. Where strangers quickly become friends. Where people can process whatever needs to be processed.

In a way, it’s the kind of space that lets us be the most human.

And that’s why I’m going.