Zen on the Trail: Hiking as Pilgrimage

by Christopher Ives

Discover how hiking can be a kind of spiritual pilgrimage — calming our minds , enhancing our sense of wonder , and deepening our connection to nature .

Evoking the writings of Gary Snyder, Bill Bryson, and Cheryl Strayed, Zen on the Trail explores the broad question of how to be outside in a meditative way. By directing our attention to how we hike as opposed to where we’re headed, Ives invites us to shift from ego-driven doing to spirit-filled being , and to explore the vast interconnection of ourselves and the natural world. Through this approach, we can wake up in the woods on nature’s own terms.

In erudite and elegant prose, Ives takes us on a journey we will not soon forget.

This book features a new prose poem by Gary Snyder.

Genres: Nonfiction, Buddhism, Philosophy, Travel, Self Help, Spirituality, Nature

192 pages, Paperback

Published September 11, 2018

Reviews

[Wiktor · Rating 1 out of 5]

Author went hiking, spent a night in the forest and came back home - that's the story, I've just saved you a few hours of your time. And this book is just as pretentious as it can possibly get, this guy constantly compares himself to ancient gods, ascetic monks, climbers conquering dangerous routes but in fact he isn't doing anything special.

[Mary Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so insightful! It’s so important to appreciate all the “micro-beauty” in nature, rather than just wild places. So often we travel, hike, and climb mountains just to check them off a list of things to do before we die, without truly being in that place and taking the time to take in all its beauty. We don’t need to travel far to reap the benefits nature has to offer!

[Matthew Shinker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the best book I've read in many moons. Christopher Ives brilliantly interweaves his love of nature, hiking, backpacking and camping with many years of Zen Buddhist wisdom. I could almost smell the fresh air, campfire and evergreens as I read this book. I felt like I was sitting on a log, next to Ives and the campfire while he taught me many things about hiking as pilgrimage, Zen tradition and so much more. In fact Ives draws from many world religions and I think that just adds to his credibility.

Bottom line, this is an amazing book and I highly recommend it for those outdoorsy-types that may also be interested in Buddhism.

[Mia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I will preface this with the fact that I love hiking and I don't think there are bad books, just books that don't suit me. I understand the appeal of the book, but I couldn't get past the pretentiousness. The "this way of thinking" is "better than that way". The constant taking down of other people on the trail for trying to go faster, or accomplish goals was just too much for me. Everyone hikes their own hike. I appreciate the sentiment and the thought in the book, it was very well written but not for me.

[Reyna Ramos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome.

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you believe that some books choose you?

I bought this book two years ago in Austin, Texas. I was there for a weekend yoga training with Ashtanga teacher David Swenson. It was one of those perfect weekends — I was exploring a new place, unconnected from my day-to-day life, meeting new people, and practicing mindfulness and awareness through yoga.

At lunch one day I popped into a nearby store, Whole Earth Provision Co. I browsed through the books and Zen on the Trail spoke to me. It seemed like the perfect book to read after I returned from my yoga retreat.

I started it when I got home, but then put it away. Life became busy. Other books clamored for my attention. I put it on the shelf with my other yoga/mindfulness books, where it looked pretty, but I made very little headway.

Fast forward two years, to this summer. I spent a few weekends near Duluth, staying in a rustic camper in the woods with electricity but nothing else. I was looking on my shelves for a book that seemed appropriate to read while in the quiet woods. Aha! Maybe I could finally get back to Zen on the Trail.

I couldn’t have picked a more perfect book to read while immersed in nature. It’s like that is what this book was waiting for me to do. For some reason, I just was not connecting with it while reading it at home, cooped up in my sealed-up house. But reading it outside in the fresh air, or in the camper while looking out at the trees, was the perfect setting. I’d read a chapter or two each time I was there.

Two years after I started the book, I finished it. I underlined so many passages; I will be returning to this book again and again. If I had read it any other time, it wouldn’t have had the same meaning.

[Kasey Lawson · Rating 2 out of 5]

“In this way we leave no trace, though not simply in the backpacking sense of choosing campsites carefully, pooping appropriately, and carrying out all of our trash (including, in the case of ultra-purists, the poop). I’m thinking of what Zen means by leaving no trace (mu-seki), which has less to do with one’s physical surroundings than with pouring oneself into an action and then moving on to the next action, without residual attachment to outcome or accolades. Zen master Shunryu Suzuki once said, “When you do something, you should burn yourself completely, like a good bonfire, leaving no trace of yourself.” Do things one at a time, with focus, and move gracefully through your day without breaking things. Show up each moment with no investment in making your mark or trying to prove something, and with as much savvy and compassion as you can muster, just do what needs to be done. Then let go.”

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a hard book to rate or review. Anyone with an interest in Zen or hiking, or certainly both, will find a lot to enjoy here. I found myself marking plenty of passages to revisit and upon which I paused for reflection. In some passages, Ives is illuminating how central tenets of Zen and other major religions apply to and manifest in the natural world and offers his own experiences encountering them on the trail. In others, he is taking a step further offering to guide readers in their approach to nature in hopes to deepen their own direct experience of both the natural world and of Zen.

[One · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first started reading this book I was bored stiff. The first prologue almost made me not want to continue reading, but I pushed on. I'm glad I did. I ended up loving the book. The author makes some wonderful points and observations throughout. It's a great book and I recommend it for those who are hikers and into Zen. I learned new things from this book and had new ways of looking at other things. Two thumbs up!

[Arend · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book that I should love, covering hiking and a Buddhist context, but although there was much I recognized, there was little that resonated. It felt too precious at times, especially with the undercurrent of judgment running through much of the book. Lots of quoting of Thoreau and Gary Snyder didn't help much. Not the book for me.

[jaga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting perspective on hiking and the outdoors. Clearly a lot of thought/ research went into this book. I really like how he spanned a wide range of religions / philosophies and layered that on the many aspects / history of hiking / the outdoors. I could really identify with the mixed feelings / emotions of being on the trail.

[agatatoczyta · Rating 2 out of 5]

Niestety, nie dałam się wciągnąć w tę podróż, nie tym razem...

Nie był to jednak czas całkiem stracony, bo autor zadał sobie sporo trudu, żeby przypomnieć mi, dlaczego powinnam skupić się na mikroprzestrzeni, w której funkcjonuję na co dzień. Szkoda, że jego głębokie przemyślenia o osadzaniu w tu, teraz, obok przyszły dopiero po zakończeniu dalekiej, dzikiej wyprawy... ;).

[Ruby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one I'll probably read again. Most of the contemplations take place in the White Mountains, on trails I've been on. I'm currently planning a trip to Mt. Isolation, which makes a big appearance. Very nice writing, and a meeting of East and West that I could really relate to.

[Philip Bazinet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ives weaves spirituality of different kinda into the experience of nature. This had a profound impact on me and how I feel when I’m outdoors. This book is a true literary journey into the wildernesses.

[Maciek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Medytacje o wędrowaniu. Różne myśli związanie z górami i wędrówkami z wyjaśnieniami wschodniej filozofii, głównie japońskiej. Pozwala zatrzymać się na chwilę i zastanowić się nad tym co robimy aktualnie.

[Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Basically just like reading the author’s journal. Not necessarily a “bad” book; I’ve just already been very “zen-connected” when I’m in nature so a lot of what I was reading was very obvious to me and nothing I hadn’t already thought/felt.

[Greg Soden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Fantastic.

[Shawn Moore]

The book burned in the fire. I was not able to finish it. I did enjoy what I read.

[Josh Schlossberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part Gary Snyder, part Cold Mountain, ZEN ON THE TRAIL is one of the best books I've ever read about connecting with the natural world.

[Solace]

Couldn't finish it, bot 50% of the way through. Read more like a scholarly paper comparing Japanese spirituality terms to hiking terms. Little personality and didn't learn much unfortunately.

[Chris Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Relaxing and illuminating read. Owes a lot to the writings of Gary Snyder (quoted extensively here) and recommended for anyone who finds hiking/ being outdoors to be spiritually nurturing.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book to help you understand and look at the outdoors in a different light through various ways. It helps you focus on your surroundings instead of only you.

[Pamela Huffman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this short book on the Venn diagram of hiking and Buddhism. I got a little over it by the end but it was still a good read.