Even in frosty temperatures, you can enjoy forest bathing and other woodsy walks clean fun
Beth Kistler started hiking 15 years ago. She and her nowhusband would plan road trips, plotting interesting trails or national parks along the way. Although a novice hiker, and admittedly not in great physical shape at the time, she was willing to meet any challenge with only one rule: There had to be a reward at the end of the trail, such as a waterfall or a beautiful view. The season and the temperature didn’t matter.
“We’ve always been willing to hike in the winter,” said Ms. Kistler, of Plum. “I just think it’s cool because you get to see different things at different times of the year — different animals, different things happening.”
The cold of a Pittsburgh winter drives many indoors, but an expanding body of scientific and anecdotal evidence speaks to the benefits of spending time in nature, even when extra layers of clothing are necessary. And, in a pandemicsinged winter, that list of pluses just seems to grow.
Dr. Betsy Dr. Betsy Blazek-O’Neill of Allegheny General Hospital’s Center for Complementary and Integrative Health acknowledges the collective spike in stress related to the COVID19 pandemic and names exercise as “the most effective thing we can do for stress.”
Even if it’s just a walk in the woods, the human body can respond profoundly.
“Some of the effect is immediate,” Dr. BlazekO’Neill said. “If you’re a person who’s really stressed out and you go into a natural environment that is, for you, perceived as soothing and calming, that will automatically decrease your blood pressure, decrease your output of stress-related hormones, give you an increased feeling of calmness and well-being. Over time, being exposed to those effects can have longer-term health benefits.”
Concerns over stress-induced (or stress-worsened) illnesses — such as anxiety, depression, cardiovascular disease and gastrointestinal disorders — gave rise to a formalized practice of experiencing nature during the 1980s technology revolution in Japan. After extensive scientific research, shinrinyoku, or “forest bathing,” surfaced as government-endorsed preventive health care in response to a sedentary and stressed-out nation.
Sound familiar? It does to Pittsburgh-based certified forest therapy guide and owner of Pittsburgh Forest Bathing, Sandi Dallaba.
“That’s our society, right?” she said. “Work is good. The more you work, the less vacation you take, the better you are. You’re seen as a better employee. But that comes with the stress-related consequences.”
Ms. Dallaba leads forest bathing retreats aimed at concentrating the benefits that forests offer. The methods come from her certifying organization, the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy, and include various prompts for observation and introspection that syncopate a silent walk in the woods.
Called “invitations,” a prompt might ask participants to create a piece of art from natural materials found near them. Or, it might direct their attention only to things that are moving — an exercise that first taught Ms. Dallaba about winter’s unique beauty.
“The first time I did this, I was in a forest in March,” she said. “There was snow on the ground, and I thought, ‘There’s nothing that’s going to be moving out here: no bugs, no animals, no leaves.’ But the sun was out. I saw little droplets on a spider web. The sun plus a little bit of air motion made me see the motion of the droplets, and it was captivating.”
Dr. Blazek-O’Neill, who participates in an all-season hiking group, sees the practice as particularly suited to the pandemic.
When her group meets up, its members start by standing — masked and distanced but together — to discuss their hike. Once on the trail, they’re able to maintain 6 feet of space, so they remove their masks, creating a nearly pre-pandemic, social feel.
“If you just want to walk or run or something like that outside with other people, if you’re maintaining your distance, that’s one of the safest places you can be right now,” she said. “Just the fact that you could continue to hike and do things that look the same as what you were doing before I think is really helpful.”
As with any form of exercise, winter hiking is not appropriate for everyone. Some people should discuss it with a doctor first. And it’s cold, so everyone should wear proper clothing and footwear. The season also brings slippery terrain, so hikers should choose trails with that in mind.
But the benefits are many. There’s the exposure to natural light, which boosts vitamin D production and helps to fend off seasonal affective disorder (or “winter blues”). Extra calories are burned. Certain immune system cells get a bump. And, in another win for mental health, one’s senses are freed from the assault of cellphones, television and traffic noise, especially when chilly winter days empty many trails.
For Ms. Kistler, the science is great but not the point. When she goes to the woods — alone or with her husband and two young children — it’s a chance to clear her mind and appreciate the subtlety of her surroundings. Or sometimes those walks make for the best uninterrupted conversations, she finds.
“[Hiking] has been a way to get away from the house and from all the news and social media posts about the pandemic,” said Ms. Kistler, who is also an ambassador for Hike It Baby Pittsburgh, a group dedicated to getting kids and families hiking. “It was the best medicine for cabin fever. We always feel better when we’re able to get outside.”
Abby Mackey: abbyrose.mackey@gmail.com, Twitter @AnthroAbbyRN and IG @abbymackeywrites.