Over the past few weeks, I’ve been making a ritual out of going on hikes every Saturday. It’s become one of my favorite ways to reset—good for the nervous system, the spirit, and my relationship with the land around me. Given that I live at a retreat center surrounded by mountains, there’s hardly an excuse not to take advantage of what’s just outside the door.
There’s a trail just up the road from the retreat center that I’ve come to love. The walk begins with a steady climb up a residential road, past homes etched into the hillside. Eventually, the pavement ends and a dirt path takes over, opening up to sweeping canyon views. As you walk a little further, you're surrounded on all sides by mountains and open sky. It’s the kind of space that instantly slows your breath and widens your perspective.
Hiking in Community
This past Saturday, I wasn’t alone. I was joined by a group of retreat guests—people I hadn’t met before, but with whom I quickly felt a sense of shared presence. There’s something uniquely connective about hiking with others. Conversation rises and falls naturally, often giving way to comfortable silences where just the sound of footsteps and wind feels like enough.
We didn’t have to “do” much. The act of walking together, side by side under the open sky, created a subtle sense of trust and community. At times we chatted, other times we just gazed out across the hills, taking in the vastness. It was a reminder that shared experience doesn’t always need words—sometimes presence is the most powerful connector.
Seeding a Vision
Though I haven’t formally started leading hikes or offering meditation events here at the retreat center, experiences like this one remind me I’m already walking the path. Each shared hike, each moment of connection out in nature, feels like a step toward something I’m actively building.
In the near future, I’d love to offer guided group hikes and meditative nature experiences—maybe even through an Airbnb Experience. For now, I’m grateful for these spontaneous moments that allow me to embody that vision in real time, and begin cultivating the kind of offerings I hope to share more widely.
Nature Does the Heavy Lifting
One of the things I’m always struck by when hiking—alone or with others—is how effortlessly the natural world facilitates transformation. You don’t need a complicated plan or a special technique. You just have to show up.
The hills, the breeze, the rhythm of your footsteps—they all do the work of settling the nervous system, opening the heart, and reconnecting you to something greater. You come as you are, and the land meets you there.
A Quiet Affirmation
As we returned from the hike and the sun began to lower over the canyon, I felt quietly affirmed. The ritual of hiking, especially with others, has a way of reinforcing what matters: simplicity, connection, movement, and presence.
These hikes remind me that there’s power in simply showing up—for ourselves, for one another, and for the land. And sometimes, walking a trail with a group of strangers can feel like exactly what the soul needed.