“Climb mountains not so the world can see you, but so you can see the world” -- Unknown

Everyone needs a break from life and all its problems once in awhile. Sometimes tensions and stress levels get too high. Certain people turn to music, video games, food, and many other things to relieve stress. I meanwhile go and embrace Mother Nature.

Nature to me is the equivalent of water to someone lost in the desert. I love being outside and just breathing in clean air. It brings a sense of calmness and is the perfect homework break. Right outside my dorm there is a huge rock. I have nicknamed this rock the “Sleeping Rock.” It’s a great place to sit and just read a book for a class along with many other things. My favorite thing to do here though is, surprisingly, to take a nap. Now I know how weird it sounds to take a nap outside on a rock, but I actually enjoy it. It’s very refreshing and gets me ready for the rest of the day.

The thing I love about nature the most though is being able to enter and learn its secrets. I love to go hiking and straying off trails, somewhat, to see things others are too scared to do. Recently I was able to hike Grandfather mountain in Linville, North Carolina. It was a great experience because I decided to stray off the trails. I happened to see a river otter, which was an animal I had never been able to see in person. Being able to see a river otter, so close to me was great. Learning and seeing new things in nature I have never seen before is always a great experience.

Hiking has led me to amazing places I would have never been able to see otherwise. I have seen the Hunger Games District 12 set and actually explored lots of the houses. Many people would've seen an old abandoned house and would never have gotten inside. I went a step further and walked and even climbed all the way up to the attic in many of these houses. I actually even walked into a house where the attic was full of socks leftover from the movie. That’s something that many people, not even the people in my group, are able to see. The whole set was beautiful and something unreal. Despite the age of the set and the fact that it's abandoned I still thought it was amazing. The waterfall, created by a dam behind the set, was amazing. The water may have been dirty and I couldn’t get near it because of trespassing notices, but I still enjoyed the view.

Nature has become my break from the emotional, mental, and physical struggles I go through. Being able to lose myself in nature has been great and nature has become my new love. All I can say is, “Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt and others are of course.”