Sometimes a little hiking motivation goes a long way. While I enjoy a solo hike here and there, hiking with friends is far more enjoyable to me. However, there is one problem that can stand in the way: lack of motivation. You may wake up feeling completely refreshed on a Sunday after getting a good night’s sleep whereas your bestie might wake up hung over from a night of binge drinking. You are raring to go explore, while they may be perfectly content with a Netflix and chill day. This example may be extreme but it can often be difficult to persuade people to do something you’d like to do if the motivation isn’t there on their end.
So how do you provide hiking motivation for your friends? It is actually simpler than it sounds. I have quite a few friends who would prefer to go shopping or have a spa day rather than rough it up in the great outdoors yet time and time again they agree to go hiking with me when I ask. It isn’t magic, it’s simply providing motivation. Here are nine tips I would recommend the next time you’d like to motivate your friends to go hiking.
Make a Plan
Plan out the exact hike, trail, and route you wish to take before asking a friend to join. When you have all the pertinent details of the hike planned out, then approach your friend about joining. This will be helpful if they have questions about the difficulty, distance, location, and time it will take to complete the hike. Taking planning out the equation for the other person who will be joining you will make your offer all the more enticing and will take the pressure off their shoulders of needing to take on additional responsibility.
Promote Fitness
Hiking is a great form of cardiovascular activity. It improves your endurance and forces you to push yourself. Promote the exercise component of hiking when asking a friend to join – especially if your friend does other forms of exercise. Some people forget that hiking is perhaps one of the easiest forms of working out yet highly effective. From taking in the beautiful scenery, chatting with a friend, and conquering different terrain, you and your friends will hardly notice you’re actually working out.
Discover New Destinations
Find a destination that both you and your friend have not been before. If you are unsure of trails they’ve hiked previously, find a few new trails that look appealing to you to provide multiple options. Variety is the spice of life, and this is especially true in hiking. If you continue to hike the same trails, your friend get bored with the same routine. Consult a hiking blog to discover new destinations you may have not have even heard of before. You could even set out to tackle a long distance trail, and complete it bit by bit on weekends. Here are 50 long distance trails to consider.
Use Your Bargaining Skills
Now I’m not advocating for monetary bribes, though who has even turned down free money? What I am suggesting is something that takes less effort – suggesting a food joint nearby after you complete the hike. Set a reward for a job well done by selecting a restaurant or small hole-in-the-wall shop near the hike as additional hiking motivation. Not only will you get a tasty meal, but you’ll be able to try somewhere new that you usually don’t frequent.
Show Stunning Photos
Humans are visual creatures. We like to see things to learn, especially if those things are beautiful. Find a few photos of your desired hiking location and show them to your friend to give them that extra boost. Most of the time seeing a few great pictures of a hike is what prompts that burning desire in my heart to get out there and get hiking. The same can be true for my friends when I share those pictures.
Join a Meetup Group
If your friends flat out refuse to go hiking despite all efforts, join a hiking meetup group . Not only will you be surrounded by like-minded inviduals, but you will likely meet other people who are trying to make new friends. Meetup groups are filled with transplants – people who have just moved to a brand new area and are looking to establish new relationships. A meetup group is an ideal way to meet new people who share similar interests as you, make new friends, and find new hiking partners.
Set a Challenge
Recently on Instagram I have been seeing a plethora of photos with the hashtag “52 Hike Challenge”. Curious, I began following the @52HikeChallenge
Instagram account
and saw that this challenge was established to motivate hikers to hike 52 times in a year, keep track of their hikes and share their adventures on social media to help inspire others to do the same. Use this as a source of inspiration for your friends or start your own challenge to motivate others to join you on your adventures.
Use Positive Reinforcement
Provide positive reinforcement for your friend if they agree to come along on your next hike. Throughout the entirety of your adventure, encourage them with positivity. Compliment them on their pacing, endurance, and willingness to complete the hike. Kill them with kindness, as some might say. Nothing is more motivating than positive feedback whether you are hiking or partaking in another form of physical activity.
Consider Their Schedule
Let’s face it, everyone leads a busy life and has a jam-packed schedule. Don’t let this deter yourself or your friends from getting out and hiking. Schedule a time at least a week in advance on a day that works for both of you to hike. If you both only have a small window of opportunity, that’s ok–schedule a shorter hike that will meet both of your needs. Taking that first initial hike may motivate your friend to clear her schedule in the future to accommodate lengthier jaunts.
