Mappy March!
The Outdoorsy Issue! / Tim's Patagonia / Nature and Brains / AI on Hiking / Slovakia's Wonderland / Save on Hyatt now! / Bill Bryson's Appalachia / Wild Life doc / The 3 Hobbies / 2-year-long Hike
New on MappyEverAfter: Tim’s Patagonia trekking adventure
Health: Nature and Your Brain
AI Shenanigans: Claud’s Best Hiking Health Hack
Travel: The Hiking Wonderland of Slovakia
Money: Save on Hyatt nights (with points) Before 3/26!
Read: Bill Bryson - Walk in the Woods
Watch Jimmy Chin’s documentary Wild Life
Mental Hack: The Only Three Hobbies You’ll Ever Need
Just because: The 10 Longest Hiking Trails in the world
Note: I will always tell you if I’m getting any referral bonuses and how much they are. There aren’t any in this letter
New on my MappyEverAfter website - Tim’s Patagonia Trekking Adventure
You wouldn't expect someone to take up running ultramarathons in their 60s, but that's exactly what our friend Tim did. Now in his seventies, his bookshelves are heaving under the weight of many finisher's medals and trophies.
Not one to rest on his laurels, Tim set off on an epic two-week trekking trip through Patagonia last November. He generously documented the adventure, complete with jaw-dropping photos, in a 2-part feature on Mappy. Go check it out!
Health - Nature and Your Brain
Need some encouragement to lace up those hiking boots? I dove into some studies on Google Scholar and the benefits of hiking in nature are mind-expanding … literally.
You've likely heard about the greatest hits:
healthier heart
lower blood pressure
reduced diabetes risk
stronger muscles and lungs
less anxiety and depression
lower breast cancer risk
better balance
higher sleep quality.
That's already an impressive roster of perks.
But did you know that hiking makes your gray matter grow? Your brain gets bigger as you navigate trails, use your memory, and pay attention along the winding paths. It also turbocharges your creative problem-solving abilities and self-esteem.
Now go and conduct your N=1 experiments. This time, you won’t find the proof in the pudding, but on the trail (although, can you think of anything more delightful than a pudding after a long hike?)
AI Shenanigans - Claud’s Best Hiking Hack
To make sure I didn’t omit anything, I asked Claud, my favorite AI chatting system (2nd is Google Gemini. ChatGPT comes 3rd):
Me:
What is the best health hack connected to hiking you can think of?
Claud:
One of the best health hacks connected to hiking is the practice of forest bathing or immersing oneself in nature amid trees and greenery. The air in forests is rich in antimicrobial phytoncides that plants emit to protect themselves. When people breathe these in during forest bathing, studies show it can remarkably boost the immune system's natural killer (NK) cells - a vital type of white blood cell that fights viruses, diseases, and cancer. Research has found prolonged hiking and forest bathing can increase NK cell activity and count by over 50%, giving your immune defenses a rejuvenating boost - in addition to hiking's established benefits like exercise, vitamin D, and stress reduction.
Claud is right, spending 2 nights in a forest boosted Natural Killer cells for more than 30 days afterward, according to this study.
Travel - The Hiking Wonderland of Slovakia
Tim’s Patagonia trip (above) has me dreaming of mountains and fresh air! I stumbled upon this video showcasing some of the most beautiful hiking trails in my homeland of Slovakia. Take a virtual tour of the Tatra mountains:
Money - Save on Hyatt nights (with points) Before 3/26!
Need a shower and a cozy bed after all that hiking? Hyatt might just do the trick.
I’m sending this newsletter a week early just to tell you that if you use Hyatt points (or Chase points for Hyatt stays), you have a week to pre-book your vacations and lock in better value.
The bad news is, that on March 26th, 137 Hyatt properties will go up a category, requiring more points to book a room.
The good-ish news is, that you can book your stay 13 months ahead and cancel without penalty (usually) up to 48 hours before check-in if your plans change.
And here’s the good news: 46 Hyatt properties are going down a category, making them cheaper to book with points. Wait to book those after 3/26.
Here’s the complete list from UpgradedPoints.
Read - Bill Bryson’s Walk in the Woods
"A Walk in the Woods - isn't that the Robert Redford and Nick Nolte movie about hiking the Appalachian Trail?" you might be asking. And you would be right, that is a film based on this book. But sometimes an excellent piece of writing doesn't translate well onto a big screen. And this is one of those times.
Bill Bryson has written about everything, from the body to about, well, nearly everything, and he writes about travel like no one else.
Part travelogue, part memoir, and part homage to the great outdoors, this book is quintessential Bryson - effortlessly blending laugh-out-loud zingers and self-deprecating honesty with insightful commentary.
Watch - Wild Life
(click the picture to see the trailer, viewing options below)
From Oscar-winning filmmakers Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, "Wild Life" is a tender documentary that chronicles the adventures, challenges, and romance of Kris and Doug Tompkins and their mission to protect Patagonia's breathtaking landscapes across Chile and Argentina, preserving some of the last truly wild places on Earth.
Kris and Doug turned away from their massively successful careers (North Face, Patagonia, and Esprit) to buy up land and create or expand 17 National Parks in Argentina and Chile, making the largest private land donation in history.
If you're looking for an adventure, love story, poetic call to action, and lush cinematography all in one, give this one a watch.
It’s on Hulu (free with a 30-day trial), Disney+, and in some theaters.
Mental Hack - The Only Three Hobbies You’ll Ever Need
This nugget of wisdom comes from the American investor and philosopher Naval Ravikant:
The ideal life would be one where:
You had a hobby that as a bi-product kept you healthy
You had a hobby that as a by-product made you smarter and more creative
You had a hobby that as a byproduct made you money
Jimmy Chin, the photographer, filmmaker, professional climber, skier, and director of masterpieces such as Free Solo, Nayad, Muru, and Wild Life (above), got it right.
Just Because - The 10 Longest Hiking Trails in the World
Lists of the longest hiking trails in the world vary 1, 2, 3, 4, but they tend to all agree on the #1: the Great Trail of Canada, which spans an incredible 24,000 kilometers (14,912 miles) and takes a couple of years to complete
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_longest_cross-country_trails
There are also stunning long-distance trails in Italy, Japan, along the coast of England, and even the European Long-Distance Path that takes you all the way from Norway to Italy.
So there you have it. May your calves quickly recover from all that reading about hiking so you can get your boots muddy for real!
Be Mappy,
Mags