The verb Hike is taken from the English dialectal hyke meaning to walk strenuously. It was first recorded in the Online Etymology Dictionary in 1809 as hyke.
The origin of this word is unknown. The word yike recorded in 1736 gives the same meaning as hike. The word was never popularly used until the 20th century when it started referring to long walks along the countryside.
Today, Many different terms are used to explain hiking with a slight difference in their usage and popularity according to the regions.
In most of the world’s countries, hiking means going for an outdoor walk be it on trail or off trail, for recreational activities. This particularly means difficult walking through thick forest, where one needs to push the vegetation aside to move forward
Early Hikers
It is difficult to find out how the hiking began. In olden times, people used to walk long miles for different reasons. Walking has been a part of people’s life throughout history.
Reason behind hiking as a popular recreational activity
The reasons behind hiking have kept changing over periods of time. Hiking for recreational purposes is comparatively a new idea. This idea of hiking as a recreational activity rather than a necessity can also be traced from a letter written by a pet named Petrarch (Francesco Petrarca).
In his letter written to his friend, he told him about mounting the summit Mont Ventoux on April 26, 1336, in southern France. His brother and two servants accompanied him. They covered a distance of 6,273 feet (1,912 metres) to reach the top.
This expedition is considered as one of the first documented examples of hiking and mountain climbing. There are other similar documented examples of climbing the Mont Ventoux during the Middle Ages. A French philosopher Jean Buridan, also conquered the peak before 1334 for meteorological observations.
Before the Middle Ages and through it, people hiked or went on long walks either out of necessity or as pilgrims to perform religious riots. These pilgrims belonged to specific religions and involved a long walk to fulfil a spiritual goal.
In this pilgrimage the followers used to retrace the steps of their spiritual leader, or it involved a journey to a holy place. These pilgrimages might have a different origin and history but they had one thing in common i.e spirituality.
Evolution of hiking as Leisure
The evolution of hiking as a leisure activity dates back to the 1700s. Before this period, walking was related to homelessness and poverty and people were avoiding it.
The idea started changing during the Romantic period towards the end of the 18th century. The urbanisation and the industrial revolution compelled the writers, intellectuals musicians and artists to admire nature
Consequently, a large number of people desired to leave the overpopulated and polluted cities and enjoy the magnificent nature through hiking. A countryside walk became a style for the wealthy European artists and authors. This growing interest in pleasure walking led to the creation of hiking clubs in Europe and North America.
The evolution of Official Hiking routes
Official hiking trails in Europe emerged at the same time when hiking clubs popped up. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, these clubs started constructing and marking their own trails.
They also spent extra bucks for the maintenance of these trails and focussed on the construction of long-distance trails. The first such official trail in Europe was completed by 1938 which was Hungarian National Blue Trail.
By 1800, official hiking trails also started emerging in the US. Earlier there were unofficial trails built by native North Americans by tracing animal tracks. These trails were used to perform different activities, including hunting, trade and ceremonies, etc. Some of these trails are still used by people.
At the end of the nineteenth century, Hiking trips were arranged and promoted by outing clubs. They created enough resources to make the exploring easier on foot. They built shelters for staying overnight and made trail maps. Hotel management also played its role in developing trails.
The Popularity of Hiking Today
Today, Hiking is not the most popular recreational activity but a healthy pastime. In the US alone, approximately 50 million people enjoy hiking every year.
COVID 19 is also one of the reasons for instigating people to go hiking. Since 2019, the number of hikers have increased manifold. Amid fear of contracting Corona virus, people preferred running away from the horrific situations and adopt hiking as the best option.
Hiking is actually walking out for fun and is a novel idea in human history. From a walk in the countryside to the emergence of a billion-dollar industry, hiking has gone through significant phases. Despite these changes, the purpose of hiking remains the same i.e. the inner human desire to explore nature.