Field Journal

The Hike Society
Written by Joe Murgatroyd // Images courtesy of Columbia Sportswear

Ahead of The Hike Society by Columbia’s inaugural Annual General Hike, we catch up with the outdoor communities driving a cultural revolution.

The youth of Britain has blessed us with many iconic subcultures over the years – ravers, mods metalheads – unmistakable identities that become symbolic of their time. These movements each own their individual distinctive styles, interests and behaviours and are often a response to cultural and societal shifts they face.

Rarely has there been a societal shift as acute as the global pandemic in which our worlds were turned upside down. There was nothing natural about enforced time indoors. But whilst dark skies were cast over us, there was a break in the clouds. As with the generations before it, the endeavour of youth shone through – finding a way to reinvent and rebel.

It was this sense of rebellion against the restrictiveness of the pandemic that paved the way for a new generation of outdoorsperson. And, whilst it is feasible for readers of these pages to be guilty of living under a rock in recent years, it has been hard not to notice the winds of change blowing across the valleys, glens and coastlines of the Great British outdoors to welcome a young, diverse and noticeably stylish cohort of hikers into the outdoors.

Like the subcultures that have gone before them, these twentysomethings are dedicated followers of fashion, and in this case subscribe to the gorpcore trend – a style that’s centered around outdoor-inspired techwear.

It’s this outdoor aesthetic in which masses of young people have discovered common ground – resulting in the formation of new communities. Born and nurtured online through social media – these digital communities turned analogue with in person meet ups in nature. Many of which are set to be out in force this October as they collaborate with The Hike Society by Columbia for its inaugural Annual General Hike, a mass participation hiking event taking place across the UK over a single weekend.

Whilst clothes are a common thread that weaves the many new communities together, speaking with some of these community leaders we’re reminded of the old proverb, “clothes don’t maketh the man.” Scratch just beneath the surface and there’s a lot more that meets the eye beyond technical shells and trail running shoes. The groups acknowledge fashion plays a central role but it’s the discussion of their community’s values and motivations in which they become most animated and energised.

“Everyone needs to be totally respectful and leave no trace” explains Liam Money, a 25 year-old civil engineer from Halifax, West Yorkshire. Money is a co-founder of the outdoor community, Common Ground, and is keen to emphasise the investment in the currency of respect for nature and for fellow man, adding, “Being respectful of nature and of other people, is a massive thing for us. We don’t accept it if anyone is disrespectful to anyone else. Whether that’s for being different or something they didn’t like about someone else, we wouldn’t stand for that.”

Another commonality amongst the groups is their eagerness to create welcoming and inclusive environments. Hannah da Silva, the 23 year-old founder of London-based Gorp Girls, an online platform and creative collective showcasing women championing the outdoors, echoes this. “lnclusivity was my first goal for the Gorp Girls, and provided that foundation for building it. The idea of community is so important and the amount of feedback we’ve received from the girls saying “I feel like I have new best friends and girls that I can just go climbing with and go hiking with”. There was a real lack of that before [we launched Gorp Girls]. Inclusivity and this idea of community are two main factors that we work to.”

Hiking has always been intrinsically social. In Greater Manchester, the outdoor group All Terrain 95 was founded between coronavirus lockdowns as a means for a group of mates to meet up and get outside. Its founder, a 22 year-old Boltonian chef called Kian Patel, has fuelled the growth of his community through his addiction to finding to spots to explore and new peaks to bag. Patel is driven by the release of climbing a mountain and where this exploration could take him – challenging himself and his community to hike bigger peaks in place further afield.

The addictive nature of reaching new heights is strong. Many men Patel’s age would be forgiven for opting for parties and drinking over getting outside, but for him, there was no contest when asked if going on an adventure is better than getting drunk, “In my eyes, yeah, to be honest. I mean, you can’t describe some of the views at the top of some of those mountains. And when you catch the right sunrise, for me, there’s nothing really much to beat it.”

The endorphin rush of summiting a mountain, an identity through fashion, a sense of belonging – it’s clear there are many reasons behind the influx of a younger audience into our green spaces. But perhaps none more pertinent than the issue of mental health and how nature and community can combine to provide a support network.

Money, who has experience of mental health issues, credits nature and the brotherhood of his community for helping manage these problems, ‘Getting outside becomes an obsession. It’s like healing. If I have an issue I’m going through, mental health wise or not, I’m happy to like to raise it with the group. I’ve not always been one to chat about things, but I’d be happy to raise it with the chaps because I know they all have some input and support.”

The groups and their members signal a mark of progress in the diversity of the outdoors. They follow in the footsteps of groups such as Muslim Hikers, We Go Outside Too and Boots and Beards, who have walked many miles in the pursuit of driving participation in under-represented communities in the outdoors, with much success. For Patel, issues of diversity don’t register on his radar, his normal is the outdoors that these groups have been working towards, “I feel like with the groups that have been formed nowadays, you do see like a mixed age range, ethnicity, all sorts of people, it’s good to see. Because I that’s what the outdoors is made for – for all these different people to experience it.”

These communities are breathing fresh air into lungs of Great British outdoors – groups that are as diverse and compelling as the landscapes they explore. Good natured, creative, respectful and profoundly well-dressed, the future of the UK outdoors is in safe hands. Viva la revolution.