75 Memes That Perfectly Capture Life And Adventures In The Outdoors

Full disclosure, Pandas, we absolutely love the Great Outdoors. Hiking, camping, and spending time in nature—away from screens, technology, and the hustle and bustle of civilization—make life so much better.

We want to share our obsession with you, too, so we scoured social media for the best, funniest, and most relatable memes about hiking and camping that we could find. Keep scrolling to check them out for a good laugh, whether you’re currently in the middle of a long trek or desperately trying to convince your friends to hike to Mount Doom with you.

The human body is designed to move around, not to stay glued to an office chair or the couch all day long.

To put things incredibly bluntly, your sedentary habits and social isolation are making you more unhealthy and unhappier. On the flip side, consistently incorporating more movement and exercise into your daily routine will boost your quality of life.

Add some strong social connections with positive people and so-called forest bathing (‘shinrin-yoku’) into the mix, and you have the foundations for a long, healthy, happy, and meaningful life.

If you’re nerdy like us, you might look to the members of the Fellowship of the Ring for hiking and adventuring inspiration. Listening to the soundtrack from the Lord of the Rings trilogy is a great way to keep yourself motivated and help you find your second wind, just as you feel too exhausted to move.

That’s not just wishful thinking, though! A new study found that listening to your favorite workout music can “dramatically boost” your endurance by around 20%. Music helps people stay in the ‘pain zone’ longer.

“Many people struggle to stick with hard training because it feels exhausting too quickly. Our research shows that letting people choose their own motivating music may help them accumulate more quality training time, which could translate to better fitness gains, improved adherence to exercise programs, and possibly more people staying active,” says lead researcher Andrew Danso, from JYU’s Centre of Excellence in Music, Mind, Body and Brain.

According to researcher Danso, the music you listen to while exercising does not actually change your fitness level. Nor does it make your heart work dramatically harder. What your self-selected music does is that it allows you to tolerate sustained effort for longer.

“It may be an incredibly simple, zero-cost tool that lets people push further in training without feeling extra strain at the end. Our findings suggest that the right playlist may make tough sessions feel more doable and more enjoyable.”

On the physical side of things, adults need to aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity every week. The CDC also recommends that you have at least 2 days of muscle-strengthening activities per week.

The NHS stresses that you should spread this exercise evenly throughout your week. Try to aim for either 4 or 5 days of exercise per week, or exercise every single day. Moreover, it’s important that you spend less time sitting or lying down, so remember to take breaks and get moving.

However, it is not just the physical things like exercise, sleep, nutrition, and hydration that keep your body and mind healthy. Your social life and relationships are irreplaceable for longevity and quality of life.

In short, people with active social lives and strong, positive relationships live longer, healthier lives. However, social isolation, loneliness, and disconnection lead to a greater risk of developing illnesses, diseases, and mental health challenges, as well as prematurely passing away.

The key thing to take away here is that you should focus on your social life alongside healthy physical habits. And if you can combine the two—even better!

Staying active is much easier when you’re doing something you enjoy, and when you’re surrounded by people you like. So, for instance, if you go on a long hike or camping trip with your family, friends, or coworkers (the ones you actually like, not the toxic ones), you’ll likely have an enjoyable time, push through challenges more easily, and hold each other accountable when it comes to your fitness goals.

Discipline and consistency are fundamental, but you can leverage bursts of motivation to stay active.

However, just because we enjoy the Great Outdoors doesn’t mean that this is the only way to stay fit or enjoy nature. It is far easier to develop exercise habits and embrace a healthy lifestyle when you don’t feel forced to do something that you don’t like.

Maybe hiking isn’t the best fit for you, or you genuinely hate camping (bugs, ew). That’s perfectly fine! Maybe what you prefer is a leisurely walk or jog through the local park, a solo canoe trip, tennis or golf at your country club, or biking with three dozen of your closest fitness fanatic pals.

Doing what you love (with the people you care about, if you’re feeling social) keeps you active.

No matter how you stay active, even if you’re not an avid fan of hiking, you can’t forget about walking, though. Walking regulates the sugar levels in your blood, improves your brain health, protects you from dementia, and helps fight anxiety and depression, among other benefits.

“When we walk, it affects nearly every system in our bodies. And about 98 per cent of the world has the capacity to walk, so there is so much untapped potential for benefiting your health,” says physiotherapist Dr. Milica McDowell.

Dr. McDowell and Dr. Courtney Conley co-authored the book ‘Walk: Your Life Depends On It,’ which stresses the importance of this daily activity.

While getting 10,000 steps a day is a good fitness goal, this ‘ideal’ step number is a myth. “You can pick and choose what to aim for depending on the benefits you’re after and what works for you,” Dr. McDowell told The Independent.

For example, if you are an incredibly sedentary person, getting up, moving a little bit, and taking more steps than you do on an average day is a wonderful start. Moving more than you usually do is better than doing nothing.

No matter who you are, you can add walking to more parts of your life. You can pepper your routine with micro-walks. You can choose to walk to (or at least partway to) work or school more often, or you can walk to the supermarket instead of taking the car. You can choose to take the stairs instead of the elevator, and you can spend your lunch break having a leisurely walk around the local park or the block instead of staying indoors, slowly digesting your massive lunch.

All of those small, incremental moments of activity quickly add up and improve your life.

“A five-minute walk improves blood flow to our brain. It improves your clarity of thinking, boosts creativity, elevates mood, helps reduce symptoms of feeling anxious or depressed, and it boosts a neurologic growth factor in your brain. Physically, as soon as you go from sitting to standing, it changes your blood pressure and elevates your heart rate. It’ll change your tissue temperature, contract your muscles and boost digestion too,” Dr. McDowell said.

After you’ve looked through all of these awesome memes and upvoted your favorite ones, we’d love for you to join the discussion in the comments, alongside your fellow readers.

What is your relationship with hiking and camping like? How much time do you spend in nature every week or month? Which of these memes did you find the most relatable and why?

What music, if any, do you listen to when you’re on a long hike? What’s the weirdest, coolest, or scariest thing you’ve spotted outdoors?

How would you convince a super sedentary friend, family member, or coworker to take up hiking with you if they have yet to take their first steps toward a healthier, happier life?

Share your thoughts, experiences, tips, and questions below!