We've had a warm spell recently, so with cloudless skies above us, my dad and I decided to go on a hike. The mountain we chose (if you can even call it that) is less than an hour from our house, and the hike itself is only eight miles round-trip -- the perfect amount for gorgeous views at the top and a sense of accomplishment once you've made it down, but not so strenuous that you're exhausted for the rest of the day.
At the start of a hike, I always find that my mind is jumbled with school assignments and YouTube videos and job obligations. But after about twenty minutes of walking, my head starts to clear, and I become more aware of what's around me. If you take the hike a step at a time, you can't help but be present in the moment. You can do nothing more than focus on what's right in front of you. By the time I get to the top, my legs are burning, but my mind is free of any distraction.
Being on top of a mountain really helps to put things in perspective. Humans are nothing more than dots in the city below, and roads and rivers spread their fingers out over the landscape, snaking through the valleys. All the petty problems seem to float away, and barely even matter anymore.
So little of these hikes are about whether I get to the top; instead, they are about escaping from everyday life, and finally being free.
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