What is the fuel that keeps you going?

A newsletter about hiking can feel trivial at a time when people are fighting for their human rights and basic needs.

But then I have an experience like last weekend - watching 100 high school students start hiking at 5:00 am to share a spectacular sunrise from Mt. Battie in Camden. I’m reminded that disconnecting from the chaos to spend time outdoors ignites the motivation to continue valuing, fighting for, and finding refuge in our messy and beautiful world.

Hiking is one of my favorite ways to lighten up when things feel heavy. Also, comedy (thank you, Conan O’Brien) and Thriller flash mobs in downtown Portland - next year, I am signing up. These activities remind us that the purpose of this life is to enjoy it as much as we can.

Heading into a campout with 100 teenagers and 20 adults at Camden Hills State Park last weekend, I didn’t know if it would be fun or an exhausting weekend of total bedlam. But thanks to a group of awesome teens and their incredibly capable advisors (teachers, counselors, and other school staff leading outdoor clubs), the weekend was miraculously smooth and enjoyable. Students from 10 schools across the state of Maine connected through outdoor cooking, hiking, ocean swimming, star gazing, and campfire s’mores - and the weekend was phone-free. Sure, Teenagers are addicted to their screens (aren’t we all?), but when you remove the devices, teens are as brilliant, playful, and engaged as they’ve always been. I’d argue that they’re even wiser and more evolved than we were at that age.

Organizing these kinds of events is part of my new job with Teens to Trails, a non-profit connecting Maine teens to life-changing outdoor experiences. Through grants, scholarships, gear, trips, training, and year-round support, we help schools create and sustain thriving outdoor clubs. If you work in a school with an outdoor club, but are not yet registered with Teens to Trails, I encourage you to sign up! If you’ve thought about starting an outdoor club, but the idea overwhelms you, let’s grab coffee. It’s easier than it sounds.

On the final night of our campout, I told the students to meet me at 5:00 am if they wanted to join the 1.2-mile hike in the dark to watch the sun come up over Penobscot Bay. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect ALL 10 schools to show up the next morning - but they did. I’m sure FOMO motivated some of these teens to wake at 4:45 for a hike in the dark, but I also think our teens (and us) crave these types of meaningful experiences that don’t involve our phones. If given the opportunities, they show up.

Between our two boys, their friends, and my job, I spend a lot of time with teenagers. Not only are they highly entertaining, they’re wise beyond their years. But they need opportunities to slow down and connect if they’re going to create a better world. Giving youth access to the outdoors and creating opportunities that are accessible to all, that is the fuel that keeps me going.

So I’ve decided that trails aren’t trivial. Neither is comedy, or zombie dance parties. The world may be falling apart, but there’s still much to enjoy. Maybe it's falling apart to birth something new. Something that supports ALL people, instead of a small percentage who already have enough. Maybe the teenagers will figure it out.