How to connect with your partner through hiking

Whenever we are travelling or staying at home, Mr. A and I always do a lot of hiking. Appart from the health benefit of walking, hiking has helped us connect to each other and create a stronger bond. It’s called the couple-bonding-effect of hiking… read on to find out what it is and how you can benefit from it!

The definition of hiking is “to go on an extended walk for pleasure or exercise, especially in a natural setting”. I love the ‘pleasure or exercise’ part and I would say it should be ‘pleasure and exercise’, although I admit that some of the potential downsides of hiking like blisters, twisted ankle, bug bites, sunburnt, exhaustion or getting lost… can undermine the pleasurable aspect. But in this post, I want to highlight another benefit of hiking specifically for couples, which we are now calling the couple-bonding-effect!

First let’s get some basic straight.

Going on a hike with your partner is very simple and requires some very easy steps:

Put on walking shoes
Walk
Enjoy
Find your way back home

Yeah that simple!!!

Some additional actions can be required to make hiking with your partner more enjoyable:

Prepare your backpack with water, snacks, your camera…
Hold hands
Find good spots to have little breaks during your hike and to enjoy the view
Kiss
Laugh
Don’t get lost
Have tea and cakes on your return. Yes this is important!

I know, I know, these are advanced steps but I know you can do it!

OK so now that the basic of hiking are clear. Let me tell you about the couple-bonding-effect by jumping in our case study:

Mr A. and I just love hiking. It’s something I got from my parents but it wasn’t an obvious past time for Mr. A when we started dating. It took a bit of time for things to come together and to rip the positive effects for our couple.

What are the positive effects of hiking for us?

Hiking helps us connect to each other and to ourselves. We’re there, simply together, surrounded by nature, enjoying the moment.

Hiking gives us time to catch up. With busy schedules during the week, it’s almost a luxury to spend 3 hours together where all we have to do is to be together, while letting our feet cary us to no specific destination.

Having the opportunity to have discussions as long as the hike is something we cherish. It sometimes allow us to resolve issues, but our favorites discussions mostly gravitate around our future, including travel plans of course, let that be short escapes or longer trips.

Yeah, we can also walk without talking, sometimes… just sometimes!! After so many years together, there aren’t awkward silences anymore. However, it’s never that long before the silence is interrupted by a “oh” sentence. ‘Oh look at that mushroom!’ ‘Oh whao look at the view!’ ‘oh… a deer!’ and that’s ok too as we marveling at the same simple things!

When we finally make it back home, we feel tired but rejuvenated. But most importantly… We feel like we totally deserve the tea and cake that has been waiting for us!! (Refer to the advance actions list above because yes we are advanced hikers!) 🙂

All of this points have allowed us to create a stronger bond in our couple. We know we share the same values, the same goals. We know we want the same future. We have the same doubts…. We know because we took the time during our hikes, to discuss all of these, over and over! Sometimes we don’t agree, but we always find a solution, a common ground. Sometimes our plans change, in which case, it just means it’s time to go on a hike again!!!