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After posting about my hikes on Facebook for a few months, I got the idea (and some encouragement) to start a blog. I was an avid hiker as a student, but it became unsustainable with the workload I had to deal with between 2017 and 2022. After finishing my PhD curriculum, I slowly rediscovered this hobby—the emphasis being on “slowly”, as I was struggling with iron deficiency and I was also temporarily more interested in cycling.

In 2024, I’ve hiked 176.8 kilometers (approximately 110 miles) so far, mostly on the Blue Trail, in the Gerecse, the Pilis, the Buda Hills, the Visegrád Mountains, and the Börzsöny.

Békás-rét (‘Frog Meadow’) in the Börzsöny.

Sometimes I sought out challenges like starting the hike before sunrise, trying to catch an earlier bus, and walking 34 kilometers (21 miles) with an elevation gain of 1174 meters (3852 feet); sometimes the challenges found me themselves—ankle-deep water and/or mud, heavy rain, ice, bonking halfway on a long incline from the lack of carbs. All of these were pretty tame in the grand scheme of things but certainly more interesting than a simple walk on easy terrain.

View from the Hármashatár-hegy airfield.	Ski lift on Nagy-Hideg-hegy.

Hiking wasn’t always fun and easy, and by “easy”, I don’t necessarily mean the physical aspect. Initially, I hated the boredom that comes with environments and activities that are less stimulating than what we experience on an average day. It was scary too, as it allowed all my anxious thoughts to flow free. Now I not only crave this boredom but I also notice more about my “boring” surroundings. I accept the bouts of anxiety and let them pass on their own—it’s probably much healthier than running from my problems.

Heading northwest from Csobánka.	On Nagy-Villám.

Physical endurance wasn’t the hardest part of my 34.1-km hike either—after 26-ish kilometers, I completely checked out mentally, and my friend had to save me from a nasty slip in a ravine right before the end. My boots (Salomon Quest 4D 3 GTX) proved to be a bit too small for comfort as well, and now I’m in the middle of experimenting with a pair of HOKA Anacapa Mid GTX that I managed to pick up on a *really* nice discount (ostensibly because the new series had come out).

Salomon Quest 4D 3 GTX	HOKA Anacapa Mid GTX

I hope that starting this blog doesn’t jinx my streak of going out on a regular basis. I want to continue hiking for its own sake and not to have something to write about—since the last time I kept a blog, hustle culture has conquered the scene, and sometimes it’s difficult to get away from the mindset, especially if every advice that you look up is centered around productivity. Here’s to the Web Revival!