If you can't imagine backpacking with ADHD...

 .... then this post is for you.

Person w ADHD: I couldn't tolerate being out in the peace and serenity of nature! I'd have nothing to do or feed my dopamine or anything! It would be so boring!

My response: Hm. You haven't been in nature much, have you?

The popular understanding of people with ADHD is that we are in constant need of stimulation and cannot focus on things. Dumping us in the middle of the tranquility of nature would surely be a recipe for disaster, right?

Gentle reader, please let me suggest otherwise. 

Me. Backpacking. Not on the verge of an ADHD fugue state.

(NB: the logistics of planning and executing a backpacking trip with ADHD is a completely different beast. I have things to say about that too, that's a future post. Here I am just talking about once you're out on trail.)

I feel that the confusion, like many modern problems, is Disney's fault. (Side note: all modern problems are either the fault of Disney or Reagan. I will die on this hill.) It's from Disney, and the media spawned in the likeness of Disney, that has given us a mental image of nature that involves words like "peaceful" and "serene". You know, quiet glades, croaking frogs, tree rats--ahem I mean squirrels--scampering happily about, maybe an adorable bluebird alighting ever so delicately on your finger to sing a duet.... yeah, if this were how nature really is, I'd hate it too.

The reality of "being out in nature" could not be further from this. It is one of the most engaging, data rich environments I can imagine, especially while hiking, and doubly especially while backpacking. You are constantly scanning the environment for safe footing, trail obstacles, signs of wildlife to be aware of, the weight of your pack and body mechanics, the physical exertion of moving your body forward, etc. There are rocks in the path that are trying to kill you. There are branches in the path that are trying to kill you. There's a river crossing that is definitely trying to kill you. 

Generally speaking, nature is trying to kill you, or at the very least, sprain your ankle. 

The bear you saw actually doesn't really care about you, FYI.

This is the Kalalau Trail on the Na Pali Coast, Kauai. Or as my family has dubbed it, "The Slippery Trail of Death"

Person w ADHD: Uhm, gee, you're really selling it. Why the hell would I want to do that?

Me: Because if everything is trying to kill you it completely occupies your brain!

When I am out hiking and backpacking, my brain is... quiet. It is occupied. It has a constant stream of things to focus on. Maybe, in a weird way, that's when the whole "serenity" thing actually happens. While hiking, there is an ever-changing stream of data coming in to be processed and responded to. It's so busy it stops clamoring for more. Or at least, mine does. My mind wanders to various topics, from work to family to favorite things to eat. But it's not desperately searching for things to think about, and blessedly it's not usually pummeling me with stress and shame either. It's just sauntering vaguely about while I'm also choosing my next footstep and trying to figure out if that thing up there is a stick or a snake. It's actually extremely calm, chill. (Except for when the stick is a snake. I'm not good at snakes yet. I'm a work in progress.)

Maybe you don't even know what it feels like for your brain to be quiet. Honestly, it's pretty amazing. There's even a lot of science coming out backing this up the idea that backpacking is beneficial for us. People with ADHD not only can backpack, but we thrive on it. (Google it)

You don't have to go do death-defying trails to have this effect either. Your standard issue midwestern forest trail will give you all of the stimulation you need to achieve it. 

Okay, caveat. HERE you will find serenity and tranquility. Brain bored here? I defy anyone to hold a thought in their head while looking out over this vista. All thoughts flee, your breath catches in your throat, and peace descends. ... And then yeah, you start getting bored. But then you start moving again (or in this case, skiing like a madwoman).

Person w ADHD: But when I go for a walk I just zone out and my brain runs train on me with thoughts until I have no idea where I even am. 

Me: You are talking about walking in a built environment, not in nature.

I have no particular complaints about going for walks in your neighborhood or local city parks and whatnot, but it is not the same as hiking in nature. The built environment (i.e., where we usually live) does not present the same sorts of challenges that trails do. Even my town, which has the worst sidewalks imaginable (when there even are sidewalks) is just not the same. 

Can you zone out on trail? Oh yeah, sure you can. And you'll miss the trail turn right before you twist your ankle on a loose rock and fall on the snake that you thought was just a stick cause you weren't paying attention.

Then you'll stop zoning out, now won't you.

Look, YMMV, as usual. This is my experience, and the experience of others I know with ADHD, and the experience being described in the literature coming out about the benefits of hiking for people with ADHD. But don't take my word for it. Try it. Really, just go out for a quick 1-2 mile day hike at a nearby nature park on an unpaved/wilderness trail. Go by yourself. Turn off your phone. Take some water and a snack, stay hydrated, and try it. Find out if it's possible, even for a little bit, to quiet your mind. If it works for you, it is worth finding out. 

I wish you the best. Thanks for reading.