Listen to yourself and your body If you start to doubt yourself, take your foot off the gas

As we stated earlier, the appeal of speed hiking amounts to something more than the athletic thrill and a focus on best performance times. It really comes down to enjoying nature.

For this reason, we urge you to take your time and avoid going phys­ically overboard. You can have lots of fun by simply slowing down and taking the time to do such things as photograph a partic­ularly stunning sight that you encounter or take an extended lunch break. Remember that speed hiking, like all forms of hiking, has just one aim: The journey is the reward.