Tag: Backpacking

Hikers Wanted!

by Trek4PTSD, posted in Uncategorized

Putting miles to raise awareness is hard work.  It is even harder when it is one hiker trying to hike the miles.  That is why the Trek4PTSD is looking for volunteers to carry the trek on their backs and raise awareness one step at a time.

If you are a hiker, the task is simple.  Just grab your trekking poles, lace up your shoes and go!  Grab some pictures along the way, and keep track of approximately how many miles you did.  Along the way if you strike up a conversation with a fellow hiker or anyone, talk about raising awareness about PTSD.  That is the hard part.  When you get home, take a few minutes to type up your hike, show us your pictures and upload them.  That is it.

If you are interested, fill out the form below or email us at Trek4PTSD@yahoo.com.

Remember that awareness begins with one step.  Help raise awareness one step at a time.

#TrekOn

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Hiking Leads to Better Mental Health

by Trek4PTSD, posted in In the News, Uncategorized

It may seem like snake oil, but a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that spending 90 minutes on a hike actually reduces ruminations.  This is wonderful news for those suffering from PTSD and Mental Illness.

How does hiking help?  An article from Collective-Evolution brakes it down.  Essentially, spending, “90 minutes in a natural environment reported lower levels of rumination and they also had reduced neural activity in the subgenual prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain related to mental illness”.  That is an amazing finding.  By going for a short hike, you will reduce the amount of negative and obsessive thoughts.  This in part will help reduce anxiety many with mental illness struggle with.  This article is a great read.

Hiking is also good for children with ADHD.  It appears that by being outdoors, it reduces the symptoms on children with the disorder.  Getting outdoors and taking a hike is a great way to reduce symptoms of mental illness, get fit and get the little ones to be more focused.

The Trek4PTSD is focused on raising awareness for PTSD and Mental Illness one step at a time.  However, it is not by coincidence that we chose hiking as the method to raise awareness.  As previously stated, hiking helps with mental illness and what better way to raise awareness than to practice what we preach.  In addition, the journey of those who suffer from mental illness is very similar to the journey hikers have to go through.  Both must do it by themselves with the support of others, both will be faced with difficult sections and harsh conditions, and both will want to quit.  Hiking and mental illness are both a kin to each other in many ways and this is why the Trek4PTSD exists.

Take the first step to raise awareness.  Become a Trekker for the Trek4PTSD and help raise awareness one step, one mile, one trail, one person(you) at a time.

#TrekOn

An Emotional Awakening; My Confession

by Trek4PTSD, posted in Thoughs from the Trek, Uncategorized

A few weeks ago as I, Trek4PTSD founder Raul, was driving through Warner Springs, California (PCT miles 109.5 and 111.4) began to get very emotional.  But I kept driving and watching for hikers.  I saw a young hiker leaving the Community Center and offered a ride.  Not paying attention to my exact location and never having known where the Community Center was at, I offered him a ride to the trailhead.  A few seconds into the ride we saw another hiker and he mentioned that he might be on the trail.  That is not possible, I thought to myself, after all the only time the trail is visible from the road is immediately after the trailhead.  After a quick assessment of our location I realized that indeed we had just passed the trailhead and I really did not need to give him a ride.  But he appreciated it and so did I.  The young Army veteran thanked me for the ride and was on his way.

After I dropped the young veteran off, I texted my wife.  I told her I was about to cry.  In response, she called me immediately.  “What is wrong?” were her first words to me and I could not hold back the tears.  My response was one of uncertainty since I did not know what was wrong.  All I knew was that it had to do with the PCT and the fact that I just drove by Warner Springs.  She responded by telling me that “it[the PCT/trail] is part of you and you need to get back out there.”  The sentiment was heard, but finding the time is difficult with so much to do before I retire from the Marine Corps at the end of the year.  Our conversation was short and I soon got over the tears, but not the emotion.

This event was a trigger, and some parts of my PTSD, anxiety and depression started to come back.  Over the next couple of weeks I watched “Wild” and “A Walk in the Woods”, again.  I started watching hiking videos on YouTube again.  I spent more time on the PCT pages on Facebook.  And I teared up along the way.

My love of hiking had not diminished.  However, I understood that due to obligations, family issues, work and my impending retirement that the trail had to work.  For almost two years I had suppressed my need to just walk in the wilderness.  On that day in Warner Springs all of the bottled up yearnings to hike exploded.  I needed to get back out, it was just a matter of  finding the time.

A week later I looked at the fire closures and found that the section between Hwy 74(Paradise Café) and Idyllwild was passable to some degree with a detour.  The detour was no problem, I would still hike the section.  Now to find the time.  With Memorial Day a little over a month away, it seemed like the perfect time.  And so it was decided.

This was my emotional awakening, and with it a new found sense of purpose.  The Trek4PTSD would continue stronger than when it first began.  More efforts to raise awareness, more content to bring to the masses, different ways to get the information out there.  Awareness starts with one step and that was my first step on this new phase of the Trek4PTSD.

Mental Illness is something we all need to talk about, specially in this day and age.  It is my goal to do so even if I have to stay up at night and work 3 jobs to do it.

Help me raise awareness, help me help those who battle their demons in silence, help me show the world what PTSD and Mental Illness is.

Thank you and Semper Fi,

Raul

“The woods are calling and I must go” -John Muir

#Trek4PTSD #PTSDAwareness #PTSD #MentalIllness #PCT

Food Review: Backpackers Country Risotto w/ Chicken

by Trek4PTSD, posted in Trail Food Reviews, Uncategorized

The trail is not the place you want to try out new things.  It is always imperative to test everything you are going to take on the trail before stepping off.  Food is no exception.  The last thing you want is to make a meal after a long day of hiking and you cannot stomach the smell or the taste.  Always test your gear and your food before heading out.

Backpacker’s Country: Risotto with Chicken

This meal provides a meal full of taste and sustenance.  There is very little negative, for my taste, about this meal.  This will be a future meal on the trail for me and part of my hiking supply stash.

This meal comes in at a total weight of approx. 7.8oz (216g), the meal itself is 5.8oz (164g).  That means that you will have to pack out approximately 2oz (52g).  This may be a bit heavy for those who are trying to go ultralight.

The package contains two servings.  Eating the entire bag comes in at 600 Calories, 6g of fat (3g Sat Fat), 50mg of Cholesterol, 2440mg of Sodium, 100g of Total Carbohydrates (4g of Fiber, 8g of sugar) and 38g of Protein.  Also 20% of your daily Calcium intake, 8% of Iron and 12% of  Potassium.  Not too bad to replenish most of what you have used in a day of hiking.

It does require 2 cups (470 ml) of water, a typical amount for a meal this size.

The “cooking” process requires the water to be boiled and poured into the resalable pouch.  Stir the water and meal together and seal the pouch.  After 15 to 20 minutes, the meal is ready to eat (more time may be needed at higher altitudes).

The front of the package reads, “AN ITALIAN STYLE COMBINATION OF RICE, PARMESAN CHEESE, WHITE MEAT CHICKEN, ONION, BROCCOLI, SWEET CORN, BELL PEPPER, AND TOMATO. DELIZIOSO, ABBONDANZA”.

The meal was very good with a pleasing taste.  The water was measured in a controlled environment according to the instructions.  Although 2 cups (470 ml) were used as directed, not all of the water was absorbed after 23+ minutes.  Towards the end of the meal I noticed a slight grainy feel to the meal.  The soak/cook time is double of some of the other meals and by the time I was done eating, it was getting cold.  Such a long soak/cook time will may make the meal get cold sooner at colder temperatures (meal was served in a 70° F (21.1° C)).  The weight of the packaging and the long soak/cook time may be a reason for some people to avoid.

Overall a good meal and I give it 4 spoons out of 4.

PTSD is Like a Long Hike

by Trek4PTSD, posted in Thoughs from the Trek

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a journey, one that can only be done alone.  However, it is not one that does not require help.  At some point you will require assistance from those who love you, those you meet along the way who are going on the same journey as you will provide comfort knowing that you are not the only one going through it, and even strangers will pick you up and help you out.  But it is you, and only you, who has to take the next step, and the one after that, and so on.  The same goes for a long hike.

As you journey down the path of PTSD you will be faced with steep ascents and challenging descents, cold nights and sweltering days, pain in your body and your mind.  And then, at the end of the day you find yourself looking at a beautiful sunset.  When you summit the mountain, you will behold views only few people have seen and that inspire awe.  On the end of your descent you will find refreshing lakes, springs or rivers.  And the next day you will awake to a beautiful new day.

As the days, weeks, months go by, you will change.  And as time goes by, you may be faced with the urge to quit, but you will not.  You see those on the journey with you, those who love you, and those who don’t know you but still love you and you will continue.

It is you that must put one foot in front of the other and take the next step.  It is you that must not give up, but continue down the trail no matter how hard it may get.  It is you that must keep going and never quit.  And when the journey is over, you will come out stronger, better and happier.

The trail changes you, PTSD changes you.  Both are difficult and trying.  Both will challenge you and make you ache, sometimes to the point of wanting to quit.  And both are full of rewards if you have the will, and you do, to see it through.

Never quit, never surrender, never give up.  Keep walking no matter how heavy your pack is and do it at your own pace.  You will prevail and you will be a better person for going on.

#TrekOn and you will win.  You are never alone.