Mental health in the 21st century began introducing a variety of treatments and new research studies ultimately helping with educating the public about mental illnesses impacting individuals as well as groups of people. However, The New York Academy of Sciences released an article in 2012 discussing the relationships between nature and mental health and the improvements those with mental illnesses underwent. As a result, there was an increase of hikers who used The Appalachian Trail to cope with varying mental health issues and others who wanted to raise awareness for underdeveloped studies about mental illnesses and underdeveloped treatments

"I am hiking for mental wellness...I am a sufferer of depression, so hiking the trail last year helped me out a lot." - Lynsey Abrams

An e-mail interview explored an anonymous hiker's struggles with mental and physical health issues and why he chose to hike the Appalachian Trail in 2016. Answering the question about personal struggles with mental health, he highlighted the twp most significant "addiction, depression [which] were the main ones" and further described the transition from childhood into adulthood and the events that impacted his mental health struggles. He delved further into his response towards the Appalachian Trail before starting, stating "I think it’s very much related to the trauma aspect. I also simply wanted to get away from modern life as much as possible. I wanted to know – at least a little bit – what it’s like to live in nature. In many ways I don’t think we’re living right, and whether it’s going into nature to help with trauma."

After he completed the hike, he commented on his mental health and whether he felt it had improved or not and his description that "what it did was give me a new perspective on everything. It’s easily the best thing I’ve ever done and was the longest sustained happiness I’ve ever experienced. I had an experience on the trail that was as if this feeling blew through me - that if I’m a mess mentally, it’s ok. If I’m great, it’s ok. Whatever happens, it’s ok.