Day 338: This Is Your Brain on Dolly Sods Wilderness

Dolly Sods Wilderness. Photo by Sara Cottle on Unsplash

Gary surprised me on Thursday with the suggestion of an overnight hiking and camping trip to Dolly Sods Wilderness.

If you’re from West Virginia, I don’t need to tell you about Dolly Sods. If you’re not, Dolly Sods is a high, rocky mountain plateau with bogs and heaths more typical to Canada. Because it’s been set aside as a federal Wilderness Area, it has no improvements, not even those you’d find in a National Park. There are trails, but they’re mostly unmarked (and easy to lose). You sign a book at the trailhead to let the managers know who’s out there and for how long. Then you just go.

We camped along Red Creek Friday night and hiked up to the Lion’s Head lookout point, with a panoramic vista of the hills. Going up was easier than coming back down. Since we got a late start Friday and managed to cram most of a two-day hike into one day, we’re feeling a little beat this evening. (Nothing that a pizza and a little ice cream in Davis, West Virginia, couldn’t heal.)

The Neurology of HIking

Hiking and camping hit the mental reset button more than anything I do at home, even my daily run. Maybe that’s because studies have shown that spending time in nature decreases activity in the prefrontal cortex. Researchers found that spending time outdoors seems to reduce “posterior alpha power,” or activity in the part of the brain that ruminates and carries on that internal monologue in your head. Ever spent the day or weekend outdoors and noticed you eventually forgot to worry about whatever was worrying you when you started out? Yep, it’s a thing, and neurologists can measure it.

Getting Out of Our Heads and into Our Mountains

When we’re caught up in rumination, when our inner stories seem sooooooooo important, it’s often difficult to unplug and go spend a day in nature. But next time you’re stuck in that head space, remember — that’s when we need nature the most. So put Rover in the car, throw your backpack in the hatch, and head out to the wilderness. Just see if it doesn’t “fix” the problem that seemed so unsolvable before.