Slow Miles: The Case for Wandering Without a Goal
In a culture that measures success in speed, output, and optimization, even our time outdoors can begin to look like a performance metric. We track mileage, elevation gain, and summit counts. We compare routes and pace. We chase personal records. (Strava users will know this all too well).
But what if the most transformative miles are the slow ones? Research has for decades suggested that the benefits of time in nature are not tied to distance covered, but to presence experienced.
The Science Behind Slowing Down
Studies in environmental psychology show that spending time in natural settings reduces cortisol levels, lowers blood pressure, and improves mood. Even short exposures—20 to 30 minutes in a park or wooded area—can measurably decrease stress markers. Most importantly, these benefits are amplified when individuals are attentive to their surroundings rather than distracted or goal-focused.
Attention Restoration Theory, developed over 30 years ago by researchers Rachel and Stephen Kaplan, proposes that natural environments help replenish our cognitive resources. Modern life demands sustained, directed attention—emails, notifications, deadlines. Nature, by contrast, engages what researchers call “soft fascination.” The movement of leaves, the sound of running water, shifting light through branches—these hold our attention gently, allowing the brain to recover from mental fatigue.
The key? Soft fascination requires slowness. When we rush, we override the very mechanism that restores us.
Presence Over Performance
A slow hike changes what you notice. The curve of a fern unfurling. The sound of snow and ice melting during springtime. The intricate geometry of lichen on a stone. Wildlife is more likely to reveal itself to the patient observer than to the hiker focused solely on the summit.
Research in mindfulness echoes this practice. Being fully present in the moment—aware of sensory input without judgment—has been shown to reduce anxiety and improve emotional regulation. Hiking slowly, without a strict destination or time constraint, naturally invites this state.
In fact, some researchers even describe nature exposure as a form of “active meditation”, were walking becomes less about arrival and more about awareness.
A Different Kind of Progress
There is nothing wrong with summits, long-distance routes, or ambitious goals. Challenge builds strength. But there is another kind of progress available on the trail—one measured not in elevation gain but in awareness gained.
I encourage you to try leaving the watch or smart device behind for your next outing: Wander without urgency. Pause without reason. Sit on a rock simply because it feels like the right place to stop.
You may cover fewer miles. But you will return home steadier, clearer, and more connected. Sometimes, the slowest path is the one that takes us the furthest.
Christoff M. Polagnoli
Board President
