I am a part of The Outdoors Club here at The College and I was lucky enough to go on a backpacking trip this past weekend to Florida! I have been a member of this club for only a year, but it has influenced my experience at The College tremendously. If it is unclear or unknown of what The Outdoors Club does, we basically do anything and everything outdoors. We go on backpacking trips, hiking trips, paddle-boarding, rock climbing, and any other outdoor activity you could think of. Even if it is just sitting outside to do your homework instead of inside, or just taking a walk to Colonial Lake.

Before college, I felt very connected to the natural world. My home in Kentucky is right next to a nature preserve that my dog and I would frequent quite often. Aside from this, a huge tradition in my family is camping. When my sister and other cousins were much younger, we would always go camping in Michigan for weeks at a time. Now that everyone is grown up, we rarely are able to all go camping together, but my family alone still makes it a priority. My family and I go on road trips every summer and camp for multiple weeks at a time. Because of all of this, I have always felt connected to nature.

During the Florida backpacking trip, I took a lot of time to myself. The hike we did was up to the summit of a mountain that overlooked a huge valley. There is something so special that I feel once I reach the summit of a mountain. Everything is so still and quiet. There is this sigh of relief because after the long hike there is finally this view that makes it all so worth it. The members on the trip all went to take some pictures on one side of the summit and find a place to have lunch while I went to the other side to sit and meditate. I set my phone down, found a flat space and just sat and breathed. I took in the view and appreciated the sounds of nature. I felt so relaxed and calm. Taking time away from everyday life, and especially away from technology, allows my body and mind to release and relax.

It is so important to be connected to nature because it allows respect for nature. When I am connected to nature I am a lot more aware of things that I do that affect nature. I find myself being a lot more conscious when I am doing everyday things. Also being connected to nature makes me physically feel better. If I am not outside on a nice day or am not able to explore in nature in a long time then I start to get very frustrated and angry because I begin to feel trapped.

I feel as if Americans can become very removed from nature and not in touch with nature. When we are removed from nature we do not see how our actions affect it. It is so beyond important to be connected with nature because we can quickly forget that we are living here with so many other people and organisms and things, instead of claiming the Earth selfishly as ours.