This past summer I went hiking for three weeks in the Sierra Nevadas in California. While I kept a journal on the trip and made art about it afterward, I haven’t really written much about it. For starters, why did I go on such a trip? Well, last spring was hard. I mean really difficult. I was having a horrible time at school, was dealing with personal issues, and just wasn’t happy about anything in my life. I thought about dropping out of school but my academia crazed parents tried to convince me otherwise. As a compromise they agreed to pay for my hiking trip if I stayed in school for another semester.
I chose a hiking trip because I’ve always loved nature and the idea of being able to escape the stressful world (even for less than a month) was more than appealing. That isn’t to say that the trip wasn’t hard – it was, but in the good way. In total, the trip was twenty two days long. While hiking was a constant, no two days looked the same.
We did everything from descending into a 200-foot deep canyon on a rope, to hiking through a river, and swimming in freshwater lakes. We also slept under the stars and at one point spent two days each by ourselves in the wild. By far, My favorite day was one of the later parts the trip, when I was fit enough, we traversed an entire mountain ridge (essentially hiking 5 mountains) all in one day. If you had told me before my trip that I was going to do that I wouldn’t have believed you. This trip challenged me in ways I never thought possible, both mentally and physically. It changed my life because it made me realize what I am capable of and the type of things I want out of life. I’m a fairly timid person and it always felt like things were happening in my life that I didn’t have control over. I understand now that it isn’t possible to have control over everything, but the best things you have control over is your actions, thoughts and how you view the world. It made me feel comfortable with who I am and confident in myself. The people on my trip were amazing and kind, which showed me the type of person I want to be and who I want to surround myself with. Having the chance to slow down and ‘smell the roses’ or in this case the dirt was a much needed break from busy city life. It’s been almost 8 months since my trip but I think about it a lot. It was a great way to get fit without having to think about getting fit and spending 3 weeks with 8 other people is sure way to make lifetime bonds. I would definitely recommend a trip like this to anyone feeling lost or to those who want a challenge.