In Search of Awe

A new look at the psychology and history of hiking and its connection to the concept of “awe” that has long been felt, but only recently understood

The fact that every year millions of travelers flock to the dangerous wilderness regions of our nation’s parks, forgoing comfort and safety to revel in something so primal, defies easy explanation. As these hikers journey up and down the country’s iconic mountains and trails, they report experiences that are at once harrowing, painful, beautiful, and life changing. How is it that subjecting ourselves to the same conditions our ancestors worked so hard to avoid can provide such a potent psychological uplift?

As a landscape photographer and the author of multiple hiking guides, Derek Dellinger has spent years studying the aesthetics of the wilderness—from our ancestors’ fear to Romantic ideas of the sublime to today’s widespread hiking culture. Drawing from philosophy, history, and psychology In Search of Awe explores a surprisingly modern hobby through the lens of “awe,” a mysterious concept that has become a burgeoning field of study.