Hiking My Feelings: Stepping into the Healing Power of Nature

by Sydney Williams

Have you ever spoken unkindly to yourself? Do you even realize when you do? Are you ready to make changes but find yourself completely paralyzed by the choices in front of you? We live in a hyper-connected, “always on” world, and frankly? It's exhausting. Let’s make time to disconnect from the distractions and reconnect with yourself.

Hiking My Feelings: Stepping into the Healing Power of Nature is more than a collection of trail tales - it’s a guide to aid (or begin!) your healing journey, helping you do the work to step up into the best version of yourself. Over the course of our lives, not only do we pick up our own trauma, we carry things for others - their fears, their insecurities, their expectations for how we should live our lives. So many of us are wandering through life wearing an invisible backpack full of those things, and it can be heavy. The weight of the stuff we are silently carrying is killing us slowly. We as individuals and every level of our communities are affected by trauma. When we don’t get help, unresolved trauma manifests as mental and physical disease. Join Sydney Williams as she unpacks her "trauma pack", sharing the story of how hiking helped her reconnect to, and heal, her mind and body - kicking her limiting beliefs and Type 2 Diabetes to the curb in the process.

Genres: Outdoors, Self Help, Nature, Audiobook, Nonfiction, Travel

292 pages, Paperback

Published December 3, 2019

Reviews

[Anna Katherina · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book's synopsis promises that

Hiking My Feelings [...] is more than a collection of trail tales - it’s a guide to aid (or begin!) your healing journey, helping you do the work to step up into the best version of yourself.

But in reality it's basically just the author's memoir.

Now, mind you, it's well written. The author has a great voice, and a writing style that actually makes it interesting despite pretty much just being their life's story- and that life story's far from being what I'd call boring in the first place. It's also well formatted, beautifully designed, and reads like a freaking dream on Kindle (a hard feat to achieve).

For all intents and purposes, it isn't really a bad book, and I legitimately want to like it... But it's still basically just a memoir. And that's more than a little disappointing given the synopsis makes it sound like it's going to give you legitimate tips about reconnecting with nature as a means of finding peace with your trauma- and that it's going to be the major purpose / topic / content of the book.

If you're a fan of memoirs and like to read about how nature helped someone else deal with everything in their life, you'll probably like this one. But it's not for me.

[Pete Olsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Maybe I’m realizing that I was whole when I got here and I’ll be whole when I leave, and I don’t NEED this to be some big thing, because by the very nature of it happening, it is a big thing.” -Sydney Williams


I used to think navigating life was about searching for my wholeness. For picking up the pieces of worth and relationship and stumbling through each day attempting to piece them together.

After experiencing Hiking My Feelings, both on the trail with Sydney and through this book, my perspective of self and life’s journey is shifting. Now I choose to practice navigating this world from a place of wholeness. There is no person, place or thing outside of me that can make me whole. Or happy. Or enough. I already am.

And the story of Pete, the one that tells me where I have been and what I am or am not, holds less and less power over me with each passing day.

I am excited to navigate my life with this new awareness. Thank you, Sydney, for sharing your story. And for helping to release me from mine.

[Erika · Rating 5 out of 5]

So to be clear, I began to use hiking about 4 years ago as a way to get in touch with my feelings and body so I was already hooked with the premise of the book. As others have said, this is more memoir than a hiking how-to book. I was blown away with how engaging the author’s writing was. I felt like I was inside her head on her journey and I couldn’t put this book down. To the other reviewers who have suggested that it sounds “whiny” in places, I felt that it was a realistic and vulnerable description of her feelings at that moment. If you stick with the story, you’re able to see how she takes those moments and eventually overcomes them. I feel that it was an authentic personal growth story and while I couldn’t relate to her specific instances of trauma, it made me realize that we are all carrying trauma that we need to process and that we shouldn’t minimize another person’s pain. I’m glad the author is shedding light on how physical activity can help heal that trauma with her organization.

[Erin Patrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

I typically love hiking memoirs and books. And I love books that help me reflect and go deep. But apparently this wasn’t my book. Maybe it is my age (40), my stage in life (work full time with 2 kids- one with special needs), or just personality differences but I felt like I was too old to relate to the author. Which kind of makes me feel ancient because I’m not that much older than her. While it is her story to tell and I respect that- I just wanted to be finished.

[Christine Stigall · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was excited to read this book but having just finished it, I have mixed feelings. The title is accurate because the author does discuss hiking and feelings but it is very little on the hiking and much more on the feelings. I appreciated the authors journey of self-discovery and clearly she’s been through a lot, but it felt like a lot of long winded whining rather than productive healing. Her descriptions of the hiking were minimal and I thought it would be much more heavily focused on that.

[Miedy Pakasi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written. Powerful. Honest. Inspiring.
I just finished reading this beautiful book and I cried. I feel emotionally connected with the story. You don't have to be a hiker, a skydiver to read this book. It's that relatable. I am so glad this book exist. I am so glad that the author shared her story with the world. Thank you for writing this. I'll definitely recommend this to everyone.

[Emma Diercks · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't finish. Only 100 pages in and the author is super whiny. I'm not enjoying the book at all.

Does it get less whiny? If not I won't bother finishing

[Barry Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sydney Williams has a very special gift to make her stories so relatable. While her story may be different than yours, you will most certainly be able to take a lot from this book.

[Dalia Meram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Too bad this is quarantine time because all I wanted to do after finishing this book is to go out into a no-phone-zone nature walk/jog/nap for which is nowhere near my home

[Amanda Rexrode · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the better books I have had read in a long while!! Sydney Williams really opens up; this book has hit the heart in many different ways!! On my top five favorite books list!!

[Missy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to reading this. I follow them on Instagram and found the story on there inspiring.

The book however for me was not! I think the title and synopsis for me was misleading. As some people have already said it’s more of a memoir of her processing her trauma. Which is fine but for me didn’t connect with the synopsis of healing with nature.

I think I was expecting a braiding sweet grass or dawn again type story. Both of which held deep connections to nature and healing. This self centred memoir bored me tbh!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I expected more reflection on working through feelings and less background on the authors personal life, but in the end I enjoyed the book. I felt like I knew Sydney by the end of the book and wanted to know what had happened in her life since then. While I do have some similarities to the author, our lives have taken drastically different paths - and yet the process of dealing with trauma felt a bit universal listening to this book. I can definitely relate to the ability to heal through nature and appreciate her openness discussing her on insecurities and struggles.

[Sharon M · Rating 3 out of 5]

One women's story the healing and self love through hiking and nature. Some of it was too much, almost, stream of consciousness writing which I felt I was just mustering through; but some really excellent insight to unpacking past trauma in ones life. I feel like some good editing could catapult this book to touch more people. I love that Sydney has started a whole movement of hiking and healing. We all could use more "Vitamin N" (nature)!!!

[Christine Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Williams shares the inspiration for the Hiking My Feelings community and movement in her memoir. She knows first hand how hiking can change your life and is now setting out to help others find a better version of themselves in nature.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the message behind this book. The path to get there at times confused me but got us there in the end. The epilogue for me is where the true magic took place. The call to rise to being your best self and what you can and should do for you… it was perfect.

[Courtney Lane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an excellent book. Highly, highly recommend. I do wish it was a little less memoir and a little more information on the hikes and connecting to nature but still was great.

[Kelly Stuart]

still working on this one. re-re-read. it's heavy work.

[Gabrielle C. Beck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! I loved this book, such a great inspirational story!

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this girls story. I felt like I could connect and it gave me some things to ponder about my own story. It was never too much or superfluous. It felt honest and vulnerable.

[Jennifer Bromma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this idea. I have always believed in the power of nature in our mental health. Ready to get back to nature!

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A personal story about discovering self, overcoming trauma, and taking control of your own health and life.

[Lindsay · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too many feelings

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book and it was easy to listen to. I learned about another hike that I want to add to my bucket list on Catalina Island. This book is more of a memoir than about backpacking.

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not only a book on hiking - it's also a book on understanding ourselves and why we do/say/ think the things we do. This book might help you understand yourself just a little bit better.