Getting out into nature (walking and mountian biking)

[Dxniel]

Being diagnosed later in life (at 29) and losing the first 25 years of my life to addiction im just feeling like i have started to actually have a life. I love being outdoors and regulary go on long walks (usually around 20 miles) along the coast or my favourite thing is looking at something in the diastance and without looking at the map i just head in that direction until i come across what i was looking at. A couple months ago i also bought a second hand trail bike and have been replacing the parts myself learning how to put bikes together and really making it my own. I have started riding daily and i just cant get enough of being outdoors in nature. I dont know if this is an autistic thing or an addict thing but i can become irritable during the day at work or when i have other plans until i can get free and just get out on my own walking or riding. I have always been a heavier set person especially during my early twenties when i was heavily into weight lifitng and absuing steroids, i ate alot but didnt move much as it was all about gaining weight because to us back then the bigger we were the stronger we were (we were young and very dumb). That all changed when my addiction really took hold and i went from the gym to not leaving the house and ballooned to 17 stone which at 5 ft 11 means i was a big boy. Now im 32 and sitting at around 14 stone (i got down to 12 stone but felt too small for my frame - im just not destined for a 6 pack it seems), i started having health issues due to years of abuse that scared me enough to put on my hiking boots and get out the door and now im hooked.

 

[Rodafina]

Welcome to the forum. Sounds like you have an awesome hobby and it is so good for both physical and mental health to get out like you do. Through walking and biking, besides the physical exercise, there’s so much adventure and inspiration all around. I like how you describe just spotting something in the distance and then walking there. It’s wonderful that you have the stamina to walk 20 miles.

I also lost many years to addiction, but I am recently free from that and working hard to stay that way. I understand what you mean about feeling like life is starting anew. I hope you can continue on this positive path through life without being weighed down by addiction ever again.

 

[Gerald Wilgus]

Welcome @Dxniel . Outdoor activities liberated me from my autistic isolation (though I did not know I was autistic at the time). The outings groups I joined valued skill and interest more than Neurology. I canoe and kayak and have training and practice in Whitewater Solo Canoe and have run up to Class IV drops. I like road biking more than mountain biking and have a recumbent trike from a firm in your neck of the woods, Inspired Cycle Engineering, in Wales. For me, I enjoy hiking around the Colorado Plateau, going off trail in Arches National Park and the Escalante Wilderness area. Though with help from Pack Goats in the latter. The outdoors is life for me. I was on a nice bike trail today, a 32 mile ride . . . the only sour note were the number of young people 1/3 my age using electric bikes (couch potatoes on wheels). I am not yet that infirm that I need a motor to work for me.

Congratulations on your enthusiasm for the outdoors. I was fortunate to have met my spouse on a trail maintenance project and we are still active. Yesterday we led a 14.8 mile paddling trip on a lively river with lots of Class I riffles.

 

[Dxniel]

Welcome to the forum. Sounds like you have an awesome hobby and it is so good for both physical and mental health to get out like you do. Through walking and biking, besides the physical exercise, there’s so much adventure and inspiration all around. I like how you describe just spotting something in the distance and then walking there. It’s wonderful that you have the stamina to walk 20 miles.

I also lost many years to addiction, but I am recently free from that and working hard to stay that way. I understand what you mean about feeling like life is starting anew. I hope you can continue on this positive path through life without being weighed down by addiction ever again.

Thank you and congratulations on your own recovery journey. For me the first year was the hardest (im coming up to 8 years clean/sober now) i spent the first 2.5 years hiding away from the world and if im honest i was hiding from anything that would cause me emotional distress and potentially trigger a relapse. Turns out when ti did happen drinking or using drugs never even crossed my mind i had finally gotten to a place where i was more focused on working on myself and building myself back up then using a substance to drag myself down. The jounrey is different for everyone and i wisah you all the bets with yours. i know for peope like us on the spectrum it can be even more difficult due to our adverse reactions to change but trust me if i can do it anyone can.

Getting out and enjoying life again has honestly gave me so much more of a reason to get up and experience life again. There was so much around the area i live that despite living here my whole life i hadnt bothered to discover. It would have been such a waste of my short time on this spinning rock if i hadnt put on those walking shoes and headed off to get lost in the woods (that has happened twice now - its a lot more fun when you know civilisation isnt too far away if you head in any direction lol)

 

[Dxniel]

Welcome @Dxniel . Outdoor activities liberated me from my autistic isolation (though I did not know I was autistic at the time). The outings groups I joined valued skill and interest more than Neurology. I canoe and kayak and have training and practice in Whitewater Solo Canoe and have run up to Class IV drops. I like road biking more than mountain biking and have a recumbent trike from a firm in your neck of the woods, Inspired Cycle Engineering, in Wales. For me, I enjoy hiking around the Colorado Plateau, going off trail in Arches National Park and the Escalante Wilderness area. Though with help from Pack Goats in the latter. The outdoors is life for me. I was on a nice bike trail today, a 32 mile ride . . . the only sour note were the number of young people 1/3 my age using electric bikes (couch potatoes on wheels). I am not yet that infirm that I need a motor to work for me.

Congratulations on your enthusiasm for the outdoors. I was fortunate to have met my spouse on a trail maintenance project and we are still active. Yesterday we led a 14.8 mile paddling trip on a lively river with lots of Class I riffles.

Hi Gerald i appreciate the welcome. That awesome you were lucky enough to meet someone who is interested in the ssame things you are and you are both hapy. Sounds like you live a very active life and being able to have outdoor opportuites like kayaking and exploring nature parks is such a blessing. Going off into the woods is one of my favourite things to do because you never know what your going to see, nature never fails to surprise me.

I agree i have never understood the appeal of the electric bike outside of jobs like food deliverys that i see ( alot of uber eats drivers use electric bikes and ive even seen a couple electric uni cycles which blew my ind the first time i saw somone using one of those) Around my area its usually just kids looking to show off infront of friends that use them to be honest.

 

[Au Naturel]

My outdoor adventures take me far away from other people. Isolation gives you freedom. You feel very small and very connected to nature. Hiking mindfully with proper preparation keeps you safe. I can't hike like I used to, and I miss it.

 

[Sherlock77]

Awesome @Dxniel

Just simply leaving the house is one of the best things for a person to do, I spend more time in a urban setting but find that that inspires me as much as nature... I do nature sometimes too...

And this is true for anyone, whether ND or NT, it's just simply being curious and exploring the world around you