Personal Experience in the Adirondacks: The Value of Nature

Way back in September, I went on a crazy hiking trip in the Adirondacks. My group was supposed to hike an easy day hike, but we ended up hiking an insane sixteen miles over three peaks. We were dehydrated, I was incredibly sick and light headed and we had to deal with slow group members who lagged behind the pace we needed to maintain to get back before dusk. Nevertheless, it was a very life defining experience that I could only get in nature.

With technological advancements developing at such a rapid pace, more and more of life's entertainment comes from sedentary experiences. This is probably one of the most defining features of our generation. The tendency to avoid the outdoors has proven to increase the levels of depression in youth.

I spend my summers working at a nature-themed day camp. Having the opportunity to engage with nature with these children is a blessing for both the counselors who get to spend their summers outdoors and for the children who learn and engage with the nature itself. The psychological benefits are so clear in both cases.

Returning to my own story, the Adirondacks provided me with an adventure. Not a virtual adventure, but an actual struggle in the outdoors. It connected me with so many generations who had experienced similar journeys and allowed me to get a fuller understanding of myself and nature.