Bryan over at WildrLog posted a little inspirational pamphlet he picked up about how hiking and backpacking will basically take care of whatever problems you’ve got — from being overweight to back pain to colds and flu and even insomnia:

Do you suffer from insomnia? Try getting up at dawn, pack your pack, strike camp, cook breakfast, then head out on the trail. Carry a 45 pound backpack up and down the mountains for 8-10 hours. Then set up camp again, walk a half mile to get water and spend 20 minutes filtering the water. Walk another half mile each time you need to go to the outhouse. Then try ambling around at night trying to find a place 100 yards from camp to hang the bear bag. When you finally lie down to rest, think about doing it all again the next day. You’ll get a good night’s sleep.

Check out the full list of benefits over here. While I have still had trouble falling asleep on the trail, I blame that on a cheap sleeping pad.

WildrLog looks like a great site to explore, while you’re there. Not only does Bryan have some Google Earth GPS support, but he’s also got great taste in tv and books. The Modern Hiker is a big fan of both David McCullough and Teddy Roosevelt biographies, for the record.

Tags: Backpacking, Camping, Hiking, motivations