Spiritual Adventures to Challenge the Mind and Body

Any quiet walk in the woods can be a spiritual experience, and countless hikers head to redwood groves and high places to find a sense of awe. But if following a dirt track is a kind of prayer—the hypnotizing rhythm of feet and breath an ancient song—some trails are true religious pilgrimages, routes laid down by the faithful.

From the high peaks of South Korea to an Irish landscape of heather and bogs, these hikes draw believers from around the world, following paths trod by Christian pilgrims, Buddhist monks, and Celtic pagans. And whether they sleep in historic abbeys or under the stars, devotees hike in a long tradition of spiritual seekers in the wilderness. With wild beauty and fascinating culture, these trails call even secular trekkers to make the journey, pulling on their boots for the hike of a lifetime.

Ireland’s patron saint fasted for 40 days on the peak of this gentle mountain, Croagh Patrick, which overlooks fields of heather, bogs, and the islands of Clew Bay—it’s also the mythical site where he banished the snakes from Ireland. More than 25,000 Catholic faithful follow in his footsteps on the yearly Reek Sunday walk, hiking up the slopes of Croagh Patrick to a small summit chapel.

But when Saint Patrick came to the mountain in 441 A.D., Croagh Patrick had already been a pilgrimage place for thousands of years. Archeologists have unearthed the ruins of a Celtic fort that once stood watch over the peak, and Ireland’s pagans once gathered here to reach pre-Christian spirits and celebrate Lughnasa, an exuberant Gaelic kickoff to each year’s harvest season.

Learn of other spiritual hiking here…

 

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