Hiking - Reuniting With Nature

Hiking is something that takes you miles away while still being in your city, just another weekend getaway. At least that’s what it is for me. Though it turned out to be so much more than that, walking through the dense forests, breathing in the alpine scent, I felt like there was so much of the world left to explore and this was the path for that journey to begin.

I remember being overwhelmed as it was my second year in USA and I was about to go into 7th grade, a big jump from 6th because it going to be all online. Sometimes, I was bored out of my mind, driving my parents crazy as I tried to find an activity active enough for me to do.

That’s how my parents and I decided to explore hiking. To be honest, I was skeptical at first. I had always loved the outdoors, but it took me a while to adjust to change as well as will myself to get out and leave my adequately made schedule behind. Our first hike was a tourist attraction, a national park home to the most beautiful volcano, in my opinion. It was Mt. Rainier! The total loop trail was about 7 miles long, with the most picturesque viewpoint halfway through.

I was only 11, so I grew tired along the way, but what pushed me to keep on going were the many wildflowers’ beds making themselves at home around the trail, the deer and bees intently searching for them, devouring themselves on this gorgeous summer day. There is no other way to describe the sunrise we experienced, besides magnificent! The sky was truly ablaze that morning, turning a bright shade of red, blushing as it lit up the snow-capped mountain. There were all sorts of people, from parents carrying their infants to grandparents tagging along, their grandchildren entwining themselves around them, being showered with love. It was truly a magical sight, the families all building a sort of community for the day, all of us on a retreat as we welcomed summer break.

Halfway through the loop trail, there is a gorgeous viewpoint, giving us a complete panorama of the cascade mountain range, the snow-peaked mountains glistening like jewels every time the sun strikes them at just the right angle. I guess that’s why they call the viewpoint panorama as well. When I was up there, I could see for miles, long stretches of mountains and the wide array of the blue summer sky, freckled with flights of birds filled my eyes. I realized how taken for granted I used to take the scenery around me, and how lucky I was to be able to experience this at such a young age. I seemed so small in front of all of this nature, the mountains existing for thousands of years while me for just 13 years. There is a word in Marathi that truly describes my feelings; bhavya. It means grand and lavish.

After that, there were many other hikes we went to every weekend, starting with low elevation and slowly working ourselves towards the top. It was always breathtaking, peeking into the valley as we reached the top, or trying to get as close as possible to the rives and waterfalls we encountered as we headed up the trail. Hiking is something that truly taught me that the journey matters more than the destination, that you are going to encounter a challenge every step of the way, and to enjoy and learn from it to be able to reach the peak and enjoy the stunning view. - Navaka

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