Aging Disgracefully

So I'm getting older. It shouldn't come as a surprise because it happens to all of us but yet here we are. Surprised we are getting older again as soon as we first see a new sign.

I've struggled with mobility all my life. Like lots of Autistic folks I'm more than a little hypermobile and it's damaging my joints. When I was 14 I went through lots of physiotherapy and one doctor, in an attempt to get me to change my ways I think, told me I might end up in a wheelchair by the age of 30. It obviously didn't work. Nor did suggesting I should cycle and swim instead of doing martial arts and play football with my friends. I just added cycling and swimming to my already overpacked routine. Coming to a head in my late 30's when I did Karate, Jiu Jitsu and Triathlon training almost everyday and doing far too much for my body in exactly the same way I had as a teen.

At some point in my teens painkillers started interfering with my drinking and at that age sex, drugs and rock n roll are high on the agenda so I stopped taking them and got used to being a little uncomfortable. Well, as happens to everyone, those pains got worse as I aged and it was shortly before my 40th birthday I had to start using regular pain medication again for joint pains and that was now more than ten years ago so why was I shocked when my knees just didn't want to recover this winter and let me abuse them again at the same rate. I dunno perhaps it's because it's the first winter in years I didn't spend sitting in meetings and writing code for a living.

But anyway, the wear and tear on my joints this year didn't want to ease away as quickly I expect it too. Again this is perfectly normal, we all go through this, and I apparently do this almost every winter according to my long suffering life partner. If I was going to continue to enjoy nature like I had in my youth in my second stab at youth then I was going to have to slow down.

Now, I was already slower than previously. I specifically went out of my way to enjoy the meandering wonder filled wanders of my younger years by taking my camera and having no specific purpose to walks. But this came with it's own problems. When I started doing this again I was still working and had to cram what could be a five hour walk into two. That didn't work. I also started carrying more and more equipment with me to make sure I'd always got the right bit of kit for the moment. Did I ever use a ND filter? No. Not even when I shot a moody black and white shot of a burned out car by the canal directly into the sun and certainly not when shooting pictures of birds and fungus. If anything I wanted more light.

Going Light

So I was carrying too much, and not just around the middle. I was walking too far and not seeing enough. I was turning walking into personal conquests that had a start, a finish, and the aim to get some nice photo's in the middle. Even with my sincere attempts to meander and not live by the clock or to go out with aims I was still doing all of these things and they are the enemies of experience. I needed to be out there on these walks for the experiences that happen along the way and I was stomping past most of them unaware because I'd set myself secret aims unconsciously and that needed to stop.

Physically Light

The obvious first step is going out with less physical belongings. I'm not in the middle of nowhere. Most of the time I'm only half click away from a shop and even when I'm on the wilder points on the edge of my patch I'm no more than 5 miles from a supermarket. This is the midlands in the 21st century. I can't get more than 10 miles away from a McDonalds almost until people start talking Welsh (Bore Da folks).

The first change was not taking my small rucksack with me. It's a military style bag I inherited from our youngest when it needed one more repair than we were comfortable sending him out with. I actually inherited a pair of them so I had spare parts. It's patched up and can carry everything I might need. How often to I use that heavy tripod head? Hardly at all and I don't think I've ever thought, I'll just pop on the 3D camo, to get close enough to something I meet on the patch. So that is the first thing to go.

Instead, pretty much all the photo gear I use, plus mics and stuff to go with the phone to video, batteries for camera and hearing aids and a bunch of other stuff fits into a fishing bum bag I picked up half price at Decathlon. The days I think I might need 'all' my kit I pop a bum bag on.

Mentally Light

This is the tricky bit. How do I stop my natural inclination to turn everything into just doing that little bit more, or trying to pack a little bit more into the day even though I know I'm not physically able to these days. That's when I came across the slow hike trend which seemed to be ideal for 'tricking' my brain into letting me rewire it so it behaves a lot more like it did when I was a kid. As part of this I decided to start taking short videos during my walks.

That pause is perfect for allowing the wildlife to be comfortable with my presence and the fact I'm waving bits of electronics and glass in their vicinity so it actually means I'm getting better (by which I mean more natural) photographs of the birds I encounter. Win Win.

Against Macho Hiking

A key thing to remember is that hiking anywhere is about the journey and not the destination. Walking to get to a physical destination is called travelling. What you need to start doing is walking to get to a destination on a different plane. If you can do that without the woo you've mastered the slow hike.

Insta Friendly Gear (and air) Heads

The first thing to do is forget all the macho posturing that comes with the instagram hikers in their seven hundred quid jackets taking selfie after selfie before racing down again to get to the next photo op. You don't need the latest shoes to go for a walk. You don't need the latest camera or iPhone to take a photo on your walk and you certainly don't need to wear make-up but you can include any of these things if, and only if, they help you feel the part. Eventually you won't need them but sometimes we go through periods where we need a walking stick and for some people that crutch is less literally a crutch. Gear shaming can be a two way street and I admit I'm guilty of gear shaming a poser or two without knowing their situation. I'm sorry. I'm trying to improve.

Masochistic Macho Men on Mountains

The second thing you have to forget is the macho hiker. They aren't always men because women also get caught up in this train of thought. The sort of people who go out for a walk on the worst day of the year to a place that isn't that interesting at it's best only to say they did it. They reached that peak, you know the one served by a railway with a cafe at the top, but they did the hard way because that's the only way they feel is valid. The people who hang 5k medals over their headboard to impress their Tinder date as if being able to complete a just over 3 mile fun run makes you a primo catch. Arseholes who will hopefully learn their lesson before it drives their loved ones away or they are unable to enjoy their walks.

Traditional Walkers

Third sort of people you have to forget are those people who use dubbin on their boots because it's the same thing their grandfather used when he hiked the kinder pass in the days before attending the first meeting of the Ramblers. There is nothing wrong with being one of those people (unlike the other two) but the things they learned and the way they walk isn't for everyone. They at least try to be welcoming but they are most welcoming to people most like them and you don't have to conform to anybody elses idea of a walker to enjoy walking. Hell you don't even need to be able to walk to enjoy a slow hike along a tow path or through a public park and that brings us to the next point (which is actually two points mushed together because I'm an arsehole when it comes to editing my own ideas)

Against Destination Hiking

Against Ablest Bellends.

Walking is something we evolved to do and so is noticing the world around us and to do either of those things you don't need to go to a special fenced off or curated place. There is nothing wrong with those places (well not wrong with them as places to walk and see nature anyway) but we should be able to enjoy a good a walk in nature when we walk to the shops or the post office. The nature is still there it's just a little more ignored and something slow hiking allows is taking the time to see and enjoy the natural world right near our homes. Every trip to get potatoes has the potential to be a trip into nature if you live in a place where it's possible to walk to get potatoes. And again, when I say walking, you can include using a wheelchair, mobility scooter or a bike in that as well as long as you remember to stop, listen, watch and feel once in a while. Don't let the thought of walking or hiking put you off enjoying a slow hike in a way that is most accessible to you.

We ARE Nature

We don't need to go and see nature when we are a part of the natural world and slow hiking allows us to enjoy being a part of nature again even in the most urban environment. Be a part of the world and experience that in every walk. It's what I'm aiming to do from now on. It's not about reaching the summit or seeing that special creature it's about being able to reach out and touch lichen on a wall, moss on a tree or grass on the ground. It's literally touching the grass in your neighbourhood rather than metaphorically behind a fenced enclosure that comes with a long drive and a fee to park.

Engagement

To turn a slow walk into a slow hike you need to be engaged with the period you are spending outside. Take a deep breath, touch the cold, damp, wall, feel the breeze, the leaves and hear the birds, insects and breeze as it passes through the very same places as your physical body. Take the time to process these things as you experience them, and importantly, experience the experience of experiencing them so they can be enjoyed to their fullest and you've turned a slow walk into an intentional slow hike.

Be engaged for as long as you can but don't hate yourself when your mind wanders and starts thinking about other things. That's entirely natural and may be exactly what you need at that moment. Try not to let a single thought take over your walk unless you went out with the intention to mull over an idea. If that is the case do the mulling when you're moving between experiences and try not to zone out so much you don't spot the next moment you may want to observe in a more intentional way.

Time and 'The Science Bit'

Now it turns out the optimum period for getting the benefit from time in nature is only 20-30 minutes so you don't even need to taken all day about it. Everyday can be a slow hiking day. Just combining with the suggested time for light exercise and you're already ODing on the good stuff so I'm going to start taking every opportunity to take a little walk and almost anybody can. Even if they have to combine it with something else.

Attention Restoration Theory (ART)

Time for some actual science rather than me obliquely referencing mysterious studies :) Starting in the late 80s Stephen and Rachel Kaplan wrote that we, as a species, suffer from directed attention fatigue caused by all the stresses of daily life and the way to avoid that being an issue is by spending time in nature chilling. A process they called 'soft fascination'. A bunch of research has been done on this including meta-analysis on all that science and it seems that after 30 minutes the fix is even more effective. So that short walk, combined with more frequent pauses we can fit into our daily day is the most beneficial combo but even if you can only fit a period of sitting in your garden and listening to the wind in the trees you'll be better off than most. Some times the hiking part of the slow hike can be really, really short as long as you fit in some extra quality slow :)

Plans

So obviously this is working for me and can only work better as I do it more. From now on I'm going to do it as often as possible but because I'm not going to fall into the trap of macho hikers or gear fetishists I'm not going to beat myself up when I can't do it or feel I need the latest tech to enjoy it. Instead I'm going to keep in mind the following

• Look carefully, paying attention both to the wider landscape and large features and the smallest details as appropriate.
• Listen to both the small little sounds near my person and to the big environmental sounds like the roar of a nearby train.
• Inhale deeply and experience the smells of nature and the urban environment even the uncomfortable biological ones.
• Touch and experience the textures of the world around me with my hands and feet as well as with my eyes.
• Remain Interoceptively aware during all of these processes and feel every step so I can both enjoy them and learn when I'm pushing it too far.

Call to action

Look, if I can do this as an Autistic ADHD slacker with a knackered body what's stopping you? Walk more but be more present when you're doing it and we can feel the change together. I look forward to seeing you out there in person or by sharing what you've created or pondered on your personal slow hikes.