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. 

• “Derek Dellinger's deep meditation In Search of Awe will take you on a remarkable journey to discover the meaning of awe in important historical moments of this emotion. The beautiful artwork throughout will remind you to look for awe around you, and how profound experiences of this emotion can change our lives. And his stories of hiking and being outdoors remind us all of the powerful relationship we have with nature, and how urgently we need to return to this today. This is a beautiful and inspiring book.”
  Dacher Keltner, author of Awe
• “Derek Dellinger has managed to track beautifully and precisely those ever shifting and elusive conditions that give altitude to the human spirit. And finding that the path to awe passes through areas both close and remote, he considers this spacious geography in all its beauty, terror, and joy.”
  Akiko Busch, author of How to Disappear
• “Heady, heartfelt, and accessible, In Search of Awe is a free-range saunter through Greek and Taoist philosophy, Romantic and Transcendentalist writings, Hudson River School paintings, and tech-equipped outdoor adventure. Reminding readers to look up at mountains as well as the world at their feet, Dellinger teaches not just how to find awe, but how to bring it back home. Mind blown!”
  Nina Shengold, author of Reservoir Year