I am a long distance hiker and I am trying to better understand my own motivations and if they are related to my attachment style and childhood trauma. One seemingly strange fact is that I am not a nature lover. I've recently been reading about attachment theory and discovered that I have an avoidant attachment style. I also know that I spent a lot of time alone as a child and much of that time was exploring trails or hiking. In high school I would get up at 6 am, drive 1 hour to the mountains alone, hike a 4000 footer, and then drive back and go directly to work for my evening job. Now, in my 50s I'm going on a 7 day backpack through the Smokies on the Appalacian Trail starting New Years Day and planning a future 6 month AT thru hike. I suspect that there may be a correlation if not causation between avoidant attachment and desire to do extreme sports like long distance hiking, especially in the cold. For me it may be something I can do where I am in control, I can get a sense of accomplishment and prove to myself (and maybe others) what I am capable of. It may be a way to show that I'm tough without being a tough guy. Could there be anything to this? What's your motivation, if not just for the love of nature? If you don't know your attachment style, you can take a quick quiz to find out and would love it if you answer my poll.

Overview of attachment styles: https://psychcentral.com/health/4-attachment-styles-in-relationships

Attachment style quiz: https://quiz.attachmentproject.com/

If you are a long distance hiker/thru hiker, what's your attachment style? (Sorry I put Secure twice. I meant to put Avoidant as the later one)

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