Today, I traded my usual two-mile neighborhood walk for a three-mile trail through the woods. It winds through the trees with a few moderate ups and downs. I was never more than a mile from the main road and rarely out of range from hearing the occasional truck barreling down the road. I walked at my own, comfortable pace, stopping occasionally to take in a distant view of the bay.
Was I walking or hiking? A TikTok trend coined it “soft hiking,” a new way to describe something we’ve been doing for years. But does the label really matter? Perhaps, because if a social media term opens you up to the possibility of walking someplace new, in nature and off the beaten-path, then yep, it matters.
What Is a Soft Hike?
When you consider going on a hike, do you picture someone huffing and puffing up the side of a mountain? Someone taking a photo above the clouds at the top of a high peak? Does it sound hard, unattainable or maybe not-so-fun? That is certainly one view (pun intended) of a hike, but it’s not the only one.
Taking your walks off-road, enjoying the sounds of nature, snapping photos of flowers and banana slugs along the trail, and easing your way to your destination—that’s what we call a “soft hike.” And get this, it carries many of the same mind- and body-boosting benefits of the more traditional take on hiking.
Hike or Walk? Tomato Tomato.
There’s a whole lot of gray area here, but, at least in the United States, “hiking” typically refers to a relatively long walk on a trail of various difficulty and elevation. “Walking” typically refers to a shorter walk in places other than the “countryside”—perhaps down a city or neighborhood street, or in a park. Take that walk off-road, into nature at your own gentle place and you have soft hiking
Nevertheless, the term “soft hiking” provides a nice framework when considering how you define yourself and how that definition can help open the door of your mind to new possibilities of places to explore.
Call it a Win-Win.
So, call it a walk. Call it a soft hike. Call it what you want. But whatever term you choose, give yourself the freedom to explore new terrain and open up opportunities to take on new challenges or explore new places.
Whether you’re calling your trek a walk or a soft hike, remember that pretty much all walking is good walking—whether you’re strolling your suburban neighborhood, walking around the lake or scaling Mt. Washington. You’re moving your body, taking in new sights, expanding your lungs, working your heart, and refreshing your mind.
A final note. These distinctions don’t necessarily apply in other countries. For instance, in much of Europe, a walk could easily refer to a 10-kilometer trek through the Alps, so if someone in Switzerland invites you for a Sunday afternoon “walk,” you probably want to get some details before you commit.
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