today was my first time listening to music while on a hike
made walking easier and the time fly faster but defeated the main purpose of solo hiking for me which is giving the brain freedom to do whatever it wants and a chance to sort out its business
low-stim repetitive environment + consistent movement = brain syncs up and goes into maintenance mode. if i don't interfere - don't direct/supress/analyze but instead let myself become a presence moving in space rather than a person with a story - then the trees, the wind, and the trail itself will contribute to the process by serving as little.. split-second anchors? something for the attention to grab onto for a moment and then release, grab and release, grab and release - gently guiding brain's movement and giving it another layer of structure in addition to the body's movement, the breathing, and the heartbeat
as a result, i come out of it with less tension, less emotional debris, less internal noise, with more clarity on what's important and what isn't, and with a very real sense of Completion. like I Actually Did Something- and this Something has nothing to do with the distance travelled, views seen, or any other stats. it's all about what the brain did with the space i gave it
the music, of course, threw all of it off. tried different styles, vibes and tempos at different volumes, and none of them fit. came out feeling like i just walked 8km on a cold, windy, gloomy day and maybe should have stayed home. mind as cluttered and brain as clogged as before. a bummer really because i won't be able to go on another one for a few days
my conclusion: music on hikes might be fine/fun if you're doing it just for the steps/cardio/views, but since i'm in it mostly for the brain, i'm better off listening to the sounds of nature and my body in it
meditation music would have prob worked, but it wouldn't add any fun factor, so what's the point?
/turned to check if the wild turkeys were still following me and saw someone with a dog. i could see it was barking but couldn't hear it because ruby waters was screaming about some dude making it clap from the back acting like it was his last time. lol