Reconnected Through The Trails

Introducing the motivation behind Insightful Trails.

Hiking, trail running, and fastpacking – all one-stop-shops for returning to the lost elements of today’s modern society; movement, nature, and stillness. We crave those things (either knowingly, or subconsciously), and without them, we can feel restless, anxious, and lacking in our innate vitality.

Trail missions allow us to disconnect not only from our electronic distractions, but from concrete jungles, artificial entertainment, and the constant need for temporary pleasures and imagined enhancements. Getting “back to basics” and the “simple pleasures” lets go of these taunts and reconnects us to our more authentic and true selves.

But basic and simple aren’t the right descriptions, are they? As you watch the sun come up over the mountains, or a pair of bird’s flit around your campsite, build relationships with strangers over a campfire, drink water from the streams, get cozy in your sleeping bag, and have deep, internal dialogues that you wouldn’t normally have with yourself, you realise that these are, in fact, the extraordinary things. And your next-door neighbour Marcus painting his fence blue? That wasn’t big, that was trivial, and now you’re laughing about it with your new trail mates over some trail mix (sorry kiwis, I mean scroggin). Trail time gives us perspective too.

I would say if you’re reading this, you’re already an avid trail enthusiast, or atleast thinking about testing the waters (or paths in this case). Therefore you'd agree, trail adventures are a genuine craving. Or perhaps we simply just hear something similar to John Muir - "The mountains are calling, and I must go". I think we’re supposed to be out there, and there probably isn’t a more accessible activity to hit the movement-nature-stillness factors for anyone thinking about embracing it.

Mangaehuehu hut, Southern Circuit, Mt Ruapehu.

What will the blog and site cover?

Insightful Trails is a passion project for me, as well as a creative outlet. I love writing, taking photos and videos, and most of all - connecting people with nature. I hope this blog sparks inspiration for those a little hesitant, and provides practical and logistical advice for those raring to go and planning their next adventure. I also hope it gives experiential insight into travelling through specific areas’ trail networks as conscientious visitors.

Frequency of new blog posts? For each trail cover, I’ll start with monthly. The concept is to be low volume, high quality. That way, you don’t get bombarded with loads of low-value content, and I don’t feel like it’s a job 😜

The first 3 trails I plan to cover are:

·  (Multi-day Hike) Round the Mountain - Mt Ruapehu, NZ

·  (Run) The Pinnacles and Billy Goat track Circuit – Coromandel, NZ

·  (Multi-day Hike / Thru-hike) The GR20 – Corsica, France.

Following this, there are loads more to cover from the archive - mostly from Aotearoa New Zealand, but also from Scotland, England, France, Spain, and Laos. May this always keep expanding!

Monks in the Himalayas

Temple in the Himalayas near Leh

Prayer flags on day hike in the Himalayas

Ultimately, I just want to share my trail experiences and help others to find their way to the next trail head with both practical and personal tips. I hope to make many, many trail-friend connections through this project, and I am always keen to chat about all the things related to it. Please get in touch, share your stories, ask questions, and offer your tips and advice. Don’t be a stranger, and jump on the email list if you're keen to hear when each new trail feature is up.

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See ya out there!

Nicki