the effort

A woman confidently running through a field wearing comfortable hiking gear, emphasizing beauty and comfort.

The effort

Manuel Andrack is a passionate hiker. In our blog, he provides us with special insights into his experiences, his favorite routes, gives tips and whets our appetite for hiking.

In 2005, he wrote his first book on the subject, "Du musst wandern". Today he reflects on how his view of the effort involved in hiking has changed over the last few years. In the following article, Manuel Andrack describes how satisfying exertion can be and how inspiring it is to discover the right level of hiking for yourself.

Manuel Andrack: The effort

In my book "Du musst wandern" (You have to hike), I put forward the extremely steep thesis that hiking is a kind of high-performance sport, including sweating and blisters on your feet. In plain language: any day trip of less than 30 kilometers is not really a big challenge. Well, that was fifteen years ago, that's just the kind of thing you write. In recent years, I have become more and more of a fanatical pleasure hiker. There were small outliers, such as a fifty-kilometer march and a hiking marathon. But that really wasn't my thing.

But the more often I walked short and very short routes, the more I longed for a tough tour. Because despite all the hiking wellness, fluffy walking trails and forest bathing days, I realized that sometimes it's just fun to really push yourself on a hiking tour, to feel your body and sweat on the ascent. Without exertion, a summit view is worth nothing - you could just take the cable car

A double exposure image of a person climbing a mountain overlaid with a man's silhouette and a sunrise.

I paid a little attention to what this does to me and my body. The start of a challenging hike is usually tough, especially when it starts with a steep climb. I like it when your body goes into hiking mode, it's a bit exhausting at first, but liberating.

I really feel my legs, especially my thighs, during the first few kilometers. It's probably because I start almost every hike too quickly, then the muscle culture turns sour and it hurts. But if your legs hurt on the ascent, is that really so bad?

No, that's my body doing something, namely carrying me up the mountain, and I think it's okay to feel the effort. Is it masochism if you even enjoy it from time to time? I always told my children before a hike, don't tell me that your legs hurt - that happens to your parents too. But by the first reward break at the latest, according to my father's advice, it's all forgotten.

Close-up of black hiking shoes with yellow accents on a rocky terrain

I also find it great, especially on winter hiking tours, when I sweat from exertion. I don't need an elaborate sauna session, just a little effort during the hike and I'm sweating and panting. Of course, I sometimes have a backache after a really strenuous hike. But that's nice! Because that just means that I haven't strengthened my back muscles enough beforehand. That's the great thing about hiking: If I give myself a good workout, it's not so bad on the next tour because I'm simply fitter!
And always remember: #it's going BEARGROUND!

BEAR TIP: A strenuous hiking tour is twice as much fun with the right hiking shoes or boots.

BÄR Bergkomfort hiking boot with features like torsional stability and breathable design. Top comfort pick by Wanderlust.

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Manuel Andrack: The effort

The effort

Manuel Andrack: The effort

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