[jniedrauer]

> there are times where your spidey senses will wake up though, which is also super surprising because it's not like fear or stress. It's N times more acute senses and focus. Almost a pleasure.. especially considering how dull a modern daily life can make you feel.

After about 3 weeks into a multi thousand mile hike, senses that I didn't even realize I had started to wake up. I could sense animals in the woods around me. I couldn't say if this was sound, smell, or something else, but I just knew they were there. Sometimes I woke up in the middle of the night, immediately knowing that something was going after my food. I also began to sense water sources from very long distances. This was probably a combination of smell and recognizing terrain patterns. Weather was another big one. I gained an intuitive sense for the storm patterns in the mountains, and I could see them changing with the terrain as I moved.

It took half a decade for the positive side effects of that hike to wear off.

[agumonkey]

Makes me want to walk in the country side alone. In France there's almost no real danger (except the eventual hunter).

Anyways it's odd how our world evolved toward comfort and disconnecting us from such important part of us.

[jniedrauer]

Someday if I've got a few months to spare, I'd love to hitchhike around Europe. Seems like a pretty cool place to wander.

[gehwartzen]

It certainly is and in much of Europe it's a legal right:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_to_roam

[agumonkey]

the whole germany and its surroundings is also choke full of bike lane (according to https://old.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/bdvap6/cycling_lan...)

[Judgmentality]

> After about 3 weeks into a multi thousand mile hike

How far and how long did you hike for? I just can't imagine walking through the woods for so many months. Also where did you hike?

[jniedrauer]

I winter hiked the Appalachian trail, starting in Amicalola Falls on January 1st. I ran out of money near Harpers Ferry, so I made it about 1100 miles.

I highly recommend doing this type of thing at least once in your life. I dreamed about using computers at night for about the first 3 weeks, and then my brain reverted to a more primitive state and I never missed tech again or felt bored for the entire time I was out there. It's very freeing.

Although if you're going to winter thru hike, winter hiking experience and good equipment is essential. A few sections ended up borderline mountaineering, which in retrospect was very foolish to attempt alone and with no experience. I did not know what I was getting into, and I got extraordinarily lucky a few times while learning how to survive outside during the winter through trial and error. Also had to spend most of the money I saved on better equipment, which is why I had to cut my hike short.

[dpc59]

Look at the appalachian and pacific crest trails. Its really hard in occidental countries to be more than 50km from a city, so you always have places to buy food.

[lowdose]

You must have come across some very delicate mushrooms while making your way.