Hiking: My Unexpected Chill Zone

Full disclosure: I used to dislike hiking. Okay, strongly dislike it. 

Picture this: an eight-year-old trudging through a forest, convinced I was walking in circles past the same tree for five hours straight. It felt endless. Boring. Exhausting. That pretty much summed up my relationship with hiking… until I turned thirteen. 

So what changed?

I got a phone. (I know, it sounds shallow. Stay with me). 

At first, taking photos was just something to keep myself entertained on the trail. But later, when I looked back at those pictures, something clicked. They were stunning (the scenery in the photo, not my skills). The lighting, the color, the layers, the trees I swore looked the same suddenly felt vibrant and full of life. I realized every hike had its own personality, its own rhythm. And beneath the scenery, they all shared something deeper: a sense of serenity. Stillness. A kind of beauty that can’t be replicated.

Ironically, it was through my phone that I learned to put it down and truly see nature. 

Since then, hiking has become one of my favorite ways to reset. I try to hit a trail at least once a month, ideally one that’s five miles or longer (the more time in nature, the better). I’ve even managed to convert a former hiking skeptic into someone who now asks me when our next hike is. 

What once felt like a chore has become something I crave when life feels overwhelming. Hiking taught me to slow down, pay attention, and find joy in the small, quiet things I used to overlook.