Mental Health and the Appalachian Trail

In their blog post for The Trek, user Sonic Boom describes their experiences with fellow hikers along the Appalachian Trail, highlighting the significance of mental health, healing, and a sense of community promoted by the AT.

"When hiking with others on this journey, both hikers and locals along the trail often share things with you which they may not reveal upfront in non-AT social situations. The topic of mental health and mental health challenges hikers face both on and off trail seems to be a regular topic of conversation" (Sonic Boom, 2022).

"Some people have shared mental health challenges like being bi-polar, depression, drug addiction, a death in the family, trauma or PTSD from life experiences, being homeless or unhoused, or even mental health issues like schizophrenia. Some people are medicated, others are not, and people have been very open with these personal situations without directly asking for such information" (Sonic Boom, 2022).

"I bring this up because I think it’s important to understand that the social dynamics of the AT help people shed some of the pressures and expectations of normal day to day life. The hard reset to the basics and the routines the AT requires of hikers to function seem to enable people to reflect and understand the person they were before the trail and who they are on the trail. It can also help them form aspects of their new selves after completing their journey, be that post-Katahdin summit or wherever they exit the AT" (Sonic Boom, 2022).

"The journey on the AT gives everyone space, time, silence, and a unique camaraderie found in few places outside of the trail. There is also very little judgement as to why people are out here, they’re just out here hiking" (Sonic Boom, 2022).

"Meeting locals along the trail also helps create fresh perspective. Some of the conversations I have had with local drivers, gas station attendants, waiters, or locals in town really show how much the AT connects people and cuts through the social norms and otherness that may occur if you’ve never been to a small town in the mountains" (Sonic Boom, 2022).

"The amount of empathy and respect I have experienced on the trail from total strangers helping myself and fellow hikers has been breath-taking and positively redeeming of my own take on humanity. Kindness and charity often does not have a religious or material form. Sometimes it’s just encouragement and locals being aware of your journey and simply rooting you on with a note or a cheer" (Sonic Boom, 2022).

"The gradual progress mile by mile, state by state, mountain by mountain seems to both tire each hiker and nourish them simultaneously" (Sonic Boom, 2022).

Review

This first-hand account of interactions with fellow hikers along the Appalachian Trail provides a more nuanced insight into how the outdoors, in this case the AT, effects mental health and well-being. Writer Sonic Boom describes hiking the AT as a cathartic experience for people who have endured trauma, are battling internal demons, or who have become fed up with societal expectations, finding comfort in the "back to basics" model of survival while traversing the trail. This element of escaping from society, the strong sense of community that blossoms between complete strangers on their common journey, and the aspect of transformation makes this seem like a spiritual experience. I don't think you have to commit to hiking the AT if you're looking for a similar experience–state parks, nature preserves, national parks/forests, community gardens, and the like are accessible to the public across the U.S. How might design be used to frame outdoor experiences as therapeutic and nourishing (in both body and mind) especially for those struggling with mental health and don't know where to turn?

References

Sonic Boom. (2022, August 19). Mental health and the AT – experiences on the trail. The Trek. https://thetrek.co/mental-health-and-the-at-experiences-on-the-trail/