Why More Jews Are Hiking the Appalachian Trail with Lech-Lecha

There are moments in life when the noise feels endless. The buzzing phone, the crowded calendar, the news cycle that never pauses—it can all leave us feeling stretched thin, restless, and strangely disconnected. Many of us ache for something deeper, a way to reconnect with what is most real and enduring.

That is where Lech-Lecha comes in.

On a trek, the world slows to the pace of your own two feet. The endless rush is replaced by birdsong, the crunch of boots on the trail, the breath rising in your chest. There are no screens to tug at your attention, no constant notifications pulling you away.

Instead, there is silence—alive, generous, and wide enough to hear the quiet voice inside your own soul.

It’s no accident that our ancestors first heard God’s call in the wilderness. Avraham and Sarah stepped into the unknown when they heard the words “Lech-Lecha”—go forth, journey into yourself, journey into the world. Every trek in the mountains carries that same invitation.

To walk is not just to move forward, but to journey inward, to discover the parts of yourself that have been waiting patiently for you to arrive.

And then there are the views.

The Appalachian Trail opens to vistas that leave you breathless—rolling ridges stretching into eternity, valleys wrapped in morning mist, sunsets that paint the sky in colors no photograph can ever fully capture. Standing on a mountaintop after a long climb, the world seems both vast and intimate, a reminder that you are part of something much larger, yet never alone.

Because just as powerful as the landscapes are the people who walk beside you. Around the campfire, under a sky strewn with stars, conversations deepen. Shared meals taste better after miles on the trail. Strangers become friends, and friends become family. The Jewish spirit comes alive in the songs, the prayers whispered into the wind, and the laughter that echoes between the trees.

So why are more and more Jews drawn to experiences like Lech-Lecha? Because they are yearning—yearning for wholeness, for connection, for the simple truth of being alive. They want to return to themselves, to each other, and to the Divine Presence that is so much easier to feel when you step outside the walls and into creation itself.

Lech-Lecha treks are more than just hikes. They are living journeys into meaning, resilience, and joy. They are a way to remember who you are, to hear the calling of your own heart, and to discover that the wilderness is not empty at all—it is full of life, and it is waiting for you.

The question is not just whether you will trek. The question is: when you hear the call to go forth, will you answer?