Anyone who has been to the mountains at least once knows it well. Every walk becomes a chance to reflect on the unpredictability of life, which can surprise you when you least expect it.
At every step nature seems to suggest that you look around and rejoice in what you see. It invites you to free your mind from worries and daily stress, enjoying every moment and the beauty that surrounds us.
Round the corner there are always a thousand surprises: wild animals, rays of sunlight filtering through the trees, species of flowers never seen before, breathtaking panoramic views... these are all details that in the end stay deeply imprinted in the mind of those who, for sport or for passion, walk the soft paths of the mountains.
But why is man drawn to high-level routes and long-distance paths? The search for oneself and for the meaning of life, the need for inspiration, the desire for adventure, setting one's body in motion (a perfect machine designed by nature to be always on the move). These are the main reasons that push mountaineers to immerse themselves in the environment they meet along their routes.
During hikes man manages to perceive better not only nature but also his own body, his own breathing and his own heartbeat. Walking the paths of the high mountains he is alone with his thoughts, he can look at them from a completely different perspective, and often many of the problems of everyday life end up looking different, making way for more than positive feelings.
Walking in the mountains, then, is not healthy only for the body. It's healthy for the mind and the soul too. A true catalyst of joy for the spirit.
On the mountain we feel the joy of living, the emotion of feeling good at heart and the relief of forgetting earthly miseries. All this because we are closer to the sky.
Emilio Comici - Mountaineer
Surrounded by nature you have the time to rejoice in the beauties of creation without the frenzy typical of city life. That's why, for every hiker, the mountain is synonymous with true happiness.
Many feel this happiness even before setting off, others only along the way. The fact remains that the emotions and sensations a hike arouses are recognised by everyone who has done one at least once.
Science too confirms the positive effects of mountain life on mood. With better oxygenation and the body always on the move, you help the production of endorphins and of the good kind of adrenaline.
Then you have to consider that you don't always walk alone; often you're part of a group, and so pleasant conversations can spring up that wouldn't be possible in urban places. It's also a way of rediscovering your own social life in the real world: a digital detox for body and mind...
The sense of adventure that drives climbers and hikers is something that does the soul good, it's only right to say it again. Man needs it, he needs to test himself, to try to go beyond his own limits and to discover his own inner boundaries. An awakening of awareness for the soul.
The important thing is not to set yourself impossible goals but to face every challenge with the attitude of someone who wants to reflect on himself and wishes to reach a deeper understanding of the nature around him.
Crossing rough routes and awkward roads, relying only on ourselves, we not only put ourselves to the test but we inevitably change.
The happiness that comes from spending time in the mountains is more a form of awakening and a growth of one's own physical and spiritual awareness. This too is happiness, joy, serenity...