I did another fantastic hike with friends to the top of Hallett Peak. Got an EARLY start because the parking lots fill up fast in RMNP. It was beautiful, dramatic etc etc. Sometimes hiking means just walking and breathing and taking in the beauty. Science has shown (yes, I DO beleive in science as should we all!) that being outdoors in nature, can rewire your brain. More positivity and more calm.
BUT sometimes there is the added bonus of meeting some really wonderful people. Hikers in general tend to be good folks. And this hike I was lucky enough to meet a really great guy named Alex. Alex was 83 years old and had the bounce in his step of a 30 year old. We fell in step on the way down from the peak and what a wonderful happenstance. 83! I mean he had just climbed to the top of a 13,000 foot peak and was skipping down the trail! Anyway, turns out, he was originally from Greece. His family was very poor and were subsistence farmers. Then along came WW2. His village/home were burnt. They had nothing. And things got worse after the war because of the political division within the country. His aunt in America, saved enough money so that his dad was able to get to the US. (needless to say, his mom was not that happy about it. Being left, dirt poor, with four children) But his dad was able to get a job and work hard and save enough to get the whole family to the US. They settled in NY when Alex was 14-years old. We talked about what it was that had kept him so agile at his age and we thought maybe it was learning to be resilient in difficult times. He didn't start hiking until he was in his 60's and now he's traveled all over the country, exploring trails from coast to coast.
I hike for a lot of reasons, but the people part is just as rewarding as the nature part.
SO GET OUTSIDE if you don't already!!