As a native to the Pacific Northwest, one of my favorite things to do is strap on my toe shoes and go on a hike.
There’s certainly tactile gratification that comes along with it: the feeling of my feet touching the soft brown soil, the burning in my calves and the expansion of my chest as I walk up a steep part of the trail, feeling rocks and sticks move under each one of my steps. The visual beauty is captivating as well — the vibrant green moss that blankets itself on trees and the forest floor, the seeming infinity of green foliage surrounding me. Seeing the view at the end of a trail brings my heart delight. The parts of the hike I engage with my senses is so wonderful to experience, but there’s a certain spiritual element as well to being in nature.
Henry David Thoreau, American Transcendentalist philosopher, lived in the hustle and bustle of city and village life until he felt the need to live more simply. He decided to build a home next to Walden Pond in the woods in order to fulfill that desire. He would sometimes write or work in a pencil factory, but most of his time was spent immersing himself in the beauty of the woods around him. It’s no surprise this lifestyle would procure his arguably best works and essays: "Walden, A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers and Life in the Woods." His life in solitude away from society gave him the time and space to contemplate and live peacefully.
Though I myself am an extrovert, I understand why Henry David Thoreau felt the need to be in isolation and go into nature. Just the other day, I was frustrated about how my honors seminar went, so I grabbed my friend, strapped on my toe shoes and drove 15 minutes away from campus to wander around Bald Peak. The very environment begged for thought to fill the perfect silence wafting through the trees; the hum of traffic was nowhere to be heard, the sun was shining, and we didn't meet anyone on the trail. The conversations my friend and I had while sitting in a tree were not only fun, but there was space for frustrations and ideas to be fleshed out. In that environment, we determined that tree would be a great spot for us to go in the future when we needed to clear our heads.
There have been other times when I've stopped studying and taken a break from being around my group of friends to spend time in nature. Even if I’m walking through the canyon in the middle of campus by myself, there’s a surreal feeling of being outside of time, responsibilities and the overall demands of life that are often associated with being a student. Though I still have things to take care of, being in nature allows me to be in clearer dialogue with my mind and with my Creator. I cannot help but think about how beautiful the world he created is, while also being in conversation with him as I sit amidst the trees and ferns that point to His beauty.
Though I am an extrovert who needs to spend most of her time in the company of people, I also think it’s necessary to enter the quiet and peaceful “outside-of-time” space that a hike or a saunter through trails has to offer. It gives room to reflect and realign my thoughts and emotions. I see nature as offering both spiritual and mental benefits to all people. In some sort of way, not simply as a means to get your recommended half hour of fitness per day, spending time in nature is a way to realign yourself and seek clarity amidst the busyness and demands of life.
