On a Saturday in October of 2021, Carlos Ramirez pushed through a gentle rain towards the summit of New York鈥檚 Balsam Lake Mountain. He couldn鈥檛 help but smile as he excitedly hopped over the swelling streams that intersected the trail, which meandered through a dense balsam fir forest. Ramirez, 52, was among nearly a dozen hikers on a guided day trip with听Brooklyn-based (DBA).

This was Ramirez鈥檚 first outing with DBA. Aside from the occasional hike during family visits to Puerto Rico and Costa Rica, the New Yorker had limited experience in the outdoors. Growing up in the city, he had minimal exposure to 鈥渙utdoorsy鈥� individuals and no transportation to rural areas. But the recent end of New York City鈥檚 pandemic restrictions had provided the boost he needed to get outside.

鈥淚 felt like I needed something to get me out of the city,鈥� Ramirez says. 鈥淲hen my friend told me about his hike with DBA, I was like, 鈥榯hat鈥檚 awesome because I don鈥檛 have a car and can鈥檛 get to the Catskills.鈥� So I went, and then I just fell in love with it.鈥�

Since then, Ramirez has joined the company on more than a dozen guided hikes in the Catskills. His gear collection and outdoor knowledge has grown with each trip to the mountains.

Why Hiking Guides Are Worth It

Though a major advantage of hiring a guide for city-based adventurers is the transportation, gear and planning many companies offer, guided hikes aren鈥檛 only for city-dwellers who lack cars or outdoor experience. Even seasoned hikers can benefit from hiring someone to lead them during a day or overnight adventure.

鈥淎 good guide can help you fulfill your intention of going out there,鈥� said Dave DiCerbo, a hiking guide and founder of DBA. 鈥淚f the intention is healing, a good guide should be able to do that. If the intention is learning or finding a new place, a good guide should be able to do that, too.鈥� For example, if a client is grieving a loss and is hoping to take space and time to reflect, a good guide would organize a quiet, easier hike, pointing out and explaining signs of regeneration in nature along the trail.

鈥淚n its simplest form, what guides do is break down barriers to the outdoors,鈥� he adds. 鈥淚t’s very easy to see why a person who鈥檚 never been outdoors before should hire a guide鈥攕afety and comfort. But lack of experience is only one specific barrier. There are so many other barriers that guides can help overcome.鈥�

Here are three ways that hiring a guide can make all the difference on your next hiking trip.

驰辞耻鈥檒濒 Gain Backcountry Confidence

Unfamiliarity with local hiking trails and how to safely and comfortably execute a day hike is often a barrier to the outdoors. Guides should have a deep knowledge of the terrain they work in, and can organize an itinerary based on a group鈥檚 goals, fitness level and time restraints. This knowledge and skill can be passed along to hikers, eventually getting them to a point where they鈥檙e comfortable heading out on an unguided trip.

For longer trips, there鈥檚 even more to know. Leave No Trace (LNT) principles, how to pick a camping spot, and how to manage food and water in the backcountry are all basic things that many in the outdoor community learn from experienced friends. But guides can fill the gap for those who don鈥檛 have anyone to teach them, or don鈥檛 want to take the time to find willing mentors. A single guided trip can expedite the learning process, which goes a long way toward giving someone the confidence and knowledge to responsibly head out alone.

鈥淚 look back now and think about all the skills I learned through trial and error,鈥� says DiCerbo. 鈥淚t took me five months of going hiking and adventuring alone to learn through trial and error and discomfort what I probably would鈥檝e learned in a weekend if I had hired a guide.鈥�

驰辞耻鈥檒濒 Discover Nature On A New Level

Even experienced hikers and backpackers can gain knowledge about different ecosystems that can only be acquired by reading or going out with someone who already has an understanding of these natural spaces.

When Roxanne Dawson, a Colorado-based adventurer who has been hiking, backpacking and snowboarding in the backcountry for ten years, joined a group of women on a guided hike in southern Utah with and , she learned more than she expected to.

鈥淚 really learned so much more about the land as we were traveling through it鈥攖he history both geologically and anthropologically,鈥� says Dawson. 鈥淚t was interesting to sit down at the campsite and have both guides lay down the geological history from 2,000 versus 10,000 versus 200,000 years ago. To be in the land, while speaking and learning about it, was such a different experience than I would鈥檝e been able to have on my own.鈥�

According to DiCerbo, one of the most underappreciated values of guides is their ability to help clients appreciate the ecosystems they travel through.

Seeing how geology, ecosystems, and how different plants and animals interact with one another is a learned skill that enhances the overall outdoor experience.听This understanding helps outdoor adventurers better connect with nature, maximizing what they are able to get out of each outing.

鈥淚t鈥檚 kinda cool, especially being an inner city person,鈥� Ramirez says, remembering how his first guided hikes in the Catskills changed his perspective on the natural world. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know much about plants except the ones you buy at the store. And now I鈥檓 reading books about plants. It鈥檚 nice when you鈥檙e willing to open up and get into something that鈥檚 unique.鈥�

Gaining an appreciation for the natural environment also helps with executing LNT principles鈥攗nderstanding the value of different plants and why they shouldn鈥檛 be trampled on, knowing why it鈥檚 important to keep your snacks out of reach of wild animals, and so on.

驰辞耻鈥檒濒 Learn to Navigate Foreign Terrain

Hiking and backpacking excursions can take us to far-flung places in search of adventure, which adds an additional layer of unfamiliarity beyond the natural ecosystems.

When Brent Potter started in 2008, the value of his business came from offering a cultural experience.

鈥淵ou don鈥檛 need a big mountain guide for safety on Mount Fuji,鈥� says Luke Cummings, a Tokyo-based guide who co-owns Fuji Mountain Guides and with Potter. 鈥淏ut there are four trails that go up, and we choose the second least climbed trail, which has a more local feel. You have huts run by the same two families for hundreds of years.鈥�

For Cummings, a Japanese mountain guide who caters to international travelers provides value by answering questions about the country and its culture in addition to natural ecosystems, helping clients have an experience they wouldn鈥檛 have otherwise.

How to Find a Hiking Guide

Most popular mountain towns and outdoor-focused destinations have an abundance of guide services that can be found with a quick Google Search. There are also sites like , which partners with guide companies to promote excursions that can be filtered by type of trip, location and dates鈥攕imilar to hotel and airline booking platforms.

Typically, a guided hike can cost between $100 and $300 per person per day, depending on the area and scope of the trip. But there are also various non-profit organizations鈥攍ike the (AMC) in the Northeast and in the Pacific Northwest鈥攖hat offer trips, courses and seminars for free or a small fee to members. Many national and state parks also offer similar trips and programs.

REI, which was originally founded as an outfitter in 1935, has also grown its presence in the guiding world in recent years, offering a number of excursions across North America through . A number of REI locations also offer scheduled , like backcountry navigation and wilderness first aid.听

While there are certification programs through organizations like the , there are no required certifications needed to become a guide, aside from what each individual company requires. Often, a guide company鈥檚 website will have a section discussing each guide鈥檚 experience, background and any certifications they have like Wilderness First Responder (WFR) or Wilderness First Aid (WFA)鈥攁t least one of which every guide should have.

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On a weekday morning in听January听in New Hampshire鈥檚 ,听the base of the gladed backcountry ski zone听could have been mistaken for a Walmart parking lot on Black Friday. Some skiers sat anxiously in their cars, waiting for a spot to open up, while others parked at the nearby 听and walked the mile up the road听with their skis slung over their shoulders. After a slow start to the season in New England, there was finally enough snowpack听to abandon the groomers for backcountry terrain.

It wasn鈥檛 always like this. Unlike the West, backcountry听skiing on the East Coast听has distinct challenges. The amount of private property in the region is staggering鈥攐nly 4听percent of land听east of Mississippi is public, compared with听47 percent in听the West鈥攁nd access to it听is hindered by a complex web of private landowners, trusts, and federal and public managers, not to mention dense听new-growth forests. 鈥淗istorically, because of the East Coast鈥檚 tree-density issues, backcountry skiers would either venture to natural alpine areas or were commonly found cutting unapproved lines,鈥� said Tyler Ray, founder of the听听(骋叠础),听a nonprofit organization based in North Conway, New Hampshire, with nearly a thousand members that advocates for increased access to the sport. 鈥淵ou would often see听these egregious cuts in the forest, and听in some cases, people had to serve jail听time. We鈥檝e been able to bridge the gap of opening access to new terrain and educating skiers.鈥�

But听starting in 2016, Maple Villa and a handful of other听glades in the vicinity鈥攊ncluding 听in Evan鈥檚 Notch, on the Maine鈥揘ew Hampshire state line, and , part of听the 10,000-acre 鈥攈ave been among the few听skiable backcountry zones听in a region where they鈥檙e听incredibly limited. These areas of the White Mountains are听a result of five years of advocacy and planning work by the GBA. Prior to their development, out-of-bounds skiing was only possible in above-tree-line terrain, a few natural drainages and old avalanche paths, and a handful of former听ski trails built by the Civilian Conservation Corps nearly a century听ago. Since launching five years ago, the GBA has been working with landowners and land managers to obtain approval for public access and to create gladed ski areas, adding significant acreage to the few less-developed local ski spots, like the 听and ski trails, that existed prior to its inception.

To secure these sites, GBA members spend countless hours building relationships and trust with landowners and managers, educating them on the benefits these zones will have on their听communities and addressing their concerns. Once access is approved, the U.S. Forest Service collaborates with the GBA on what trees should and shouldn鈥檛 be cut, how to minimize the risk of erosion, and other above-ground vegetation management measures that ensure any cutting is being done in a sustainable way. The organization then hosts 鈥済lade days,鈥澨齱here up to 75 volunteers come out to help cut the outdoor space听they鈥檒l eventually end up skiing. In five years, the group听has successfully built eight glades in New Hampshire and western Maine, for a cumulative total of听8,100 vertical feet of skiable terrain, and more are in the works, potentially in the Pemigewasset and Androscoggin districts of White Mountain National Forest.

Rural communities, like听those near the GBA鈥檚 glades, benefit greatly from the development of outdoor recreational venues, a fact that can easily convince private landowners to sign on. A recent economic analysis of Maple Villa, Crescent Ridge, and Baldface revealed that nearly $1 million in revenue was generated within the local community during the 2018鈥�19 ski season alone, according to Ray.

The main concern for most landowners, Ray says, is liability. But in New Hampshire and Maine, protect landowners who allow people to recreate on their property. In New Hampshire, these听laws ensure that landowners won鈥檛 be held accountable for any injuries or damages that occur on their land, provided they don鈥檛 charge visitors a fee for access and don鈥檛 do anything obviously negligent that results in injury, such as suddenly building a fence across an already established ski zone without proper听signage.

Maine has similar protection laws, but landowners听are permitted to charge fees for recreational use. It is understood that users of these zones are doing so at their own risk, and that they will be held responsible if they are injured while on someone鈥檚 property. If that does occur, local and state organizations, like the , are typically notified by the injured party or another person who is around to help.

While the GBA is the newest organization of this kind, it isn鈥檛听the first one working to expand opportunities for recreation on the East Coast. In Vermont, the (RASTA) was founded after Hurricane Irene鈥檚 devastating toll on small communities in 2013. 鈥淚t was really a way to rebuild these communities that were hit by this storm,鈥� said Zac Freeman, a founding member of the alliance. 鈥淲e hoped it would give folks something to look forward to and would help some of the struggling businesses. But at the core of it, we鈥檙e doing it because we want to create more opportunities to recreate in these small towns.鈥�

RASTA helped grow Vermont鈥檚 backcountry ski network significantly. Along with liaising with private landowners, it听also worked with the Forest Service to create the 听in 2017, one of the first actively managed backcountry ski zones on Forest Service听land in the country. The听project听initially encompassed听four separate areas, but today听it offers more than 28,000 combined vertical feet across six separate gladed zones around听the state, all听managed by RASTA.

Before the GBA or RASTA, there was the . Founded in 1994 in East Burke, Vermont, the KTA听was one of the first organizations to begin working with private landowners to create outdoor access. After 25 years, it had secured a network of more than 100 miles of cross-country and downhill trails听and is now considered one of New England鈥檚 premier听singletrack mountain-biking destinations. These arrangements between the association and the more than听100 private landowners currently signed on were based听primarily on听the promise that the trails would benefit the community鈥攍andowners receive no financial compensation for allowing public access. Fulfilling that promise, it is estimated that the for the surrounding communities听during the 2019 fiscal year.

But these contracts, which rely on trust, are nonbinding, and landowners always have the option to revoke their access. In fact, in December 2019, a few landowners informed the KTA that they would no longer permit mountain bikers on their property (although they did continue to allow other forms of recreation, like snowshoeing and trail running), resulting in the loss of nearly 12 miles of trails to cyclists. While the landowners haven鈥檛 publicly stated their reasoning听and couldn鈥檛 be reached for comment, the association speculated that they听felt their land wasn鈥檛 being respected by mountain bikers, a concern that may have been amplified by an extreme increase in trail use in recent years.

Elise Lawson, a KTA听landowner听with property just north of those who revoked access, and a member of the KTA鈥檚 board of directors, has noticed an increase in users and trail congestion since purchasing her听property in 2003. And while her experience with mountain bikers has been overwhelmingly positive, she did note that there are occasional exceptions.

鈥淚 feel that some people who come might not be aware that Kingdom Trails is composed of private landowners,鈥� said Lawson. 鈥淚 think some people may have been getting a sense of entitlement rather than gratitude.鈥�

For the KTA, the landowners鈥� decision served as a wake-up call.

鈥淲e recognize that we should have been more effectively communicating with our landowners,鈥� said Abby Long, Kingdom Trails鈥� executive director. 鈥淏ut we also needed to be educating our trail users on proper etiquette.鈥�

To keep this from happening again, the organization听has been soliciting ideas and feedback from landowners and community members. It has also been investing in research and communication through a USDA-funded that addresses and promotes sustainable growth and听a new advisory committee that allows landowners to become听more involved in planning, as well as听user engagement and education through an expanded ambassador program听and听 campaign, which is a code of ethics directed at the mountain-biking community that was听created by the Northern Forest Center鈥檚 .

In late January, RASTA dealt with a similar issue. A police report filed by a skier听on January 25 stated that two gunshots were heard after the skier听accidentally crossed onto an abutting听property, followed by a third approximately 15听minutes later. The organization was notified, and it immediately closed the trail network in an attempt to resolve the issue. RASTA couldn鈥檛 confirm the source of the shots, but as a precaution, volunteers helped reroute the trail farther away from the property and add signage to create a quiet zone. The trail reopened a few weeks later听and hasn鈥檛 seen any incidents since.

鈥淚t鈥檚 our responsibility to ensure that we protect the privilege to recreate on private lands,鈥� said RASTA鈥檚 Freeman. 鈥淏ecause it isn鈥檛 a right. And it鈥檚 our job, as GBA, RASTA, and the New England Mountain Bike Association, to promote responsibility, trail ethics, and landowner stewardship.鈥�

To help educate its users, the GBA, in collaboration with , a national nonprofit representing backcountry skiers on public lands, recently introduced , a code of conduct that they will share at their sites moving forward, which involves simple yet effective measures such as respecting closures and packing out garbage.

In a similar effort, over a thousand听businesses, organizations, and influential individuals formed the听听last fall, which was born during an uptick in general outdoor recreation during COVID-19 to promote responsible ways to get outside.

Despite the challenges and hurdles to create and bolster听these recreational spaces听in the Northeast, the GBA鈥檚 Ray is optimistic. 鈥淭his outdoor economy is taking over,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd these organizations听are showing that it can be sustainable and support small towns. It鈥檚 really a way of life.鈥�

While the organizations have largely been successful, their continued growth depends on the respect and awareness of the visitors who recreate on these lands. 鈥淚 feel that every trail user represents the organization,鈥� said Freeman. 鈥淏ecause you never know who you鈥檙e gonna pass on the trail. It could be the landowner that allowed you to ski on their land.鈥�

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The sun sank lower as we pushed our way up the steep slabs toward the summit of Mount Chocorua, a prominent 3,500-foot peak in the Sandwich Range of New Hampshire. We had missed our time goal, but the other two guides and I felt confident that we could safely get our team of eight teens to the summit and then back to camp after dark.

As we pushed on, I noticed John (his name has been changed for privacy), an out-of-shape 13-year-old whose program-issued blue T-shirt was drenched in sweat, wearing a pained expression. With each step, his breathing became heavier, and his peers pulled farther ahead. At the trail junction, less than a half-mile from the summit, he collapsed under the weight of his 50-pound pack. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 do this anymore,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 do this.鈥�

The rest of the team sat nearby, waiting to be given the OK to move forward. They continued chattering about their favorite video games, the latest trending memes, and how they wished their phones had not been taken away when they arrived here.

Like all of his teammates, John struggled with depression, anxiety, and technology addiction. Before his parents sent him to 鈥攁 wilderness therapy program based in rural Stow, Maine, where I work as a guide鈥擩ohn would spend hours locked in his bedroom, playing Fortnite, sending Snapchats, and cruising Instagram. Completing daily teen responsibilities, like attending middle school and spending time with his friends and family, eventually became so infrequent that his parents decided to send him to our program, which combines nature outings with clinician visits to address tech addiction, substance abuse, and emotional regulation.

Summit Achievement has been operating as a therapeutic wilderness school for teens ages 13 through 20 since the 1990s, but it鈥檚 only recently that we鈥檝e seen such an influx of clients suffering from tech addiction. Parents are handing iPhones to their kids at a younger age. Much like with substance abuse, when adolescents are regularly using alcohol, drugs, or technology before their brains have fully developed, they鈥檙e more likely to become addicted.

Technology, like gambling, is understood as a risk for process addiction, where certain behaviors are rewarded with pleasure. People can become fixated on returning for that reward in a way that disrupts daily life. By that definition, says Will White, founder of Summit Achievement and author of , it鈥檚 clear that tech addiction is rampant in today鈥檚 society.

Technological dependence has been linked to mental health issues. In a 2018 study published by , researchers at the University of San Francisco surveyed 135 students about their smartphone use and its effect on their mental state. The researchers reported that screen time was linked to increased loneliness, anxiety, and depression. Another study, recently published in the , surveyed 15- and 16-year-olds and found a significant association between frequent social media use and symptoms of ADHD.

The World Health Organization now includes 鈥溾�� as a mental health condition in the 11th edition of International Classification of Diseases, released in June. For an individual diagnosed with a gaming disorder, gaming takes precedence over other daily activities, negatively affecting important aspects of life鈥攕ocial, personal, family, educational, and occupational鈥攆or a period of at least 12 months. While the current definition includes only gaming, many clinical social workers speculate that it will eventually be expanded to include other types of tech addiction, such as social media use. Meanwhile, experts are looking into treatments for this modern addiction and its effects.

That鈥檚 where nature comes in. The benefits of spending time outside are widely reported. In a 2016 study called , conducted by the University of Derby and the Wildlife Trusts, researchers asked 12,400 participants to engage with nature every day for a month. The results showed that simply spending time in nature has positive impacts on physical health, such as reduced hypertension and respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses, as well as improved mood and reduced anxiety. In Japan, 鈥�forest bathing鈥� is increasingly popular. In the United States, some doctors and organizations are already prescribing time in nature.

A lack of physical activity and time spent outdoors has a demonstrable impact on levels of cortisol, the body鈥檚 main stress hormone. 鈥淐ortisol builds up when you have anxiety and remain inactive,鈥� says Jill Jerome, a clinical social worker in Rockville, Maryland. 鈥淭echnology contributes to this big-time. When you are on social media, you may feel anxious about someone having a better life than you, not getting enough attention, or getting too much attention. That is when cortisol is building. When you don鈥檛 have any way to burn it off, then you鈥檙e going to have more anxiety. When you鈥檙e out and moving, it starts to burn off.鈥�

Wilderness therapy aims to tackle those compounding side effects by taking away the temptation of technology, increasing movement, and introducing the healing element of nature. While its origins can be traced back to the youth-focused summer camps of the 1800s, it wasn鈥檛 until 1922 that New York鈥檚 Camp Ramapo opened its doors specifically for emotionally challenged youth. Forty years later, two programs鈥擮utward Bound USA and Brigham Young University鈥檚 鈥淏YU 480 Class: Youth Rehabilitation Through Outdoor Survival鈥濃�攑rovided a structure upon which many current wilderness therapy programs were built. Today, wilderness therapy generally looks more like camp with licensed clinicians. The clinicians help clients identify what鈥檚 driving their behaviors, while guides take clients鈥攐ften teens and young adults鈥攐n multiday backpacking expeditions, boating or climbing trips, and other outdoor activities.

Summit Achievement isn鈥檛 the only program of its kind. There are 15 accredited wilderness therapy programs in the nation, plus dozens more wilderness-focused schools and courses. While most programs share a similar approach to address problems such as ADHD, depression, anxiety, and tech addiction, many differ from Summit in that they are considered full wilderness programs鈥攖here is no main campus to go back to each week. At Redcliff Ascent, for instance, students spend the entire duration of their stay鈥攁pproximately ten weeks鈥攕leeping under the stars and working with guides and clinicians in a remote backcountry setting.

At Summit Achievement, teens and young adults embark on a grueling recovery program that consists of a four-day backcountry expedition each week for an average of eight weeks, with three days of school, daily chores after each meal, weekly group and family therapy sessions, a mid-stay family visit, and zero screen time (except for an online academic curriculum catered to each student鈥檚 needs).

While enrolled in the program, students spend their time learning how to live without their smartphones and video games鈥攁s well as how to be self-sufficient, face anxiety, cope with depression and ADHD, build confidence, and socialize with peers. At the same time, clinicians conduct family therapy sessions, working toward rebuilding relationships back home.

I often watch new students walk onto our main campus in rural western Maine with a somber expression. Like John, many are teens who have rarely left the comfort of home and have just found out they will be spending much of the next six to ten weeks sleeping outdoors, with no access to the technology that has become an essential part of their lives. Their first few weeks are difficult, as they work on reflection of past behaviors and their consequences and towards acceptance of the program and the need for self-growth.

New students often keep to themselves initially, lacking the skills to interact with their peers and unable to fall back on the smartphones and video games they rely on so heavily. As they move through the program, they focus on specific themes of acceptance, commitment, accountability, initiative, empathy, and transition. They also learn hard skills like setting up a tarp, navigating, and cooking on a camp stove.

I watch students discover鈥攚ith the help of guides and clinicians鈥攈ealthy coping mechanisms that allow them to push through situations that they could have never imagined before. By the end of their stay, students will often have the confidence to encourage their teammates, teach hard skills, and provide emotional support to newer members of the team.

On Mount Chocorua, we spent 20 minutes with John, practicing the tactical breathing exercises that he鈥檇 been learning to use as a coping mechanism. Soon we were able to press forward toward the top. An eruption of celebratory cheers rippled through the group of teens who finally stood atop Chocorua, congratulating John and each other as we watched the sunset.

It was John鈥檚 first summit. After months of hardly leaving his house, he was finally surrounded by a view he never thought he鈥檇 see beyond his Instagram feed.

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