Stepping out of the office and the concrete jungle, we found ourselves in a place where the mountains are reflecting sunlight and the snow is melting into music. When you struggle to pull out the leg stuck in the lap-high snow, you know you’re now reconnected to nature, swallowed up by the scene. Going on a hike is much more than refreshing our lungs with chill and delicious air, illuminating our sensations with splendid sceneries, or a physical workout with a limited source of food and water. It’s also an underrated choice for group activities.
What makes group hiking a good group activity? Consider these aspects:
Team building and group dynamics
✅ Interactions and conversations during the group hiking bring about the feeling of closeness and togetherness
✅ There must be a decision-maker leading the way and choosing the route, so you have to trust your teammates! As the leader or any member of the group, it’s important to make sure not to walk too fast and look after your mates who might be left behind
✅ Accomplishing a common goal (in this case, finishing the trail) with everyone’s presence and participation builds up the inclusiveness and strengthens the team spirit
Leisure and Wellness
✅ Pack only essential things and leave behind luxury supplements as well as tasks that are undone can be mentally challenging, but the tension is instantly released the moment you are on your way
✅ While finding our balance of walking on snowy, slippery trails, we focus on very minimum things: breathing and steps, which distracts us from all the complexity of real life. This simplicity brings the mental calmness and quietness
✅ A break from the daily routine helps a lot with regenerating the efficiency and improving the performance at work. When your mental battery is drained off, go on a hike and come back with a fully charged one
The glimpse of the million-year-old landscape reminded us of the infinity of the world and the smallness and finitude of being, meanwhile inspiring us with the courage and strength of people who conquered nature before us!
A big shout out to everyone involved in organising such a fantastic trip!
References
Bongaardt, Rob, Idun Røseth, and Børge Baklien. “Hiking leisure: Generating a different existence within everyday life.” SAGE Open 6.4 (2016): 2158244016681395.
This post was written by Esperanza Shi as part of an ongoing series of scientific communications written and curated by BioTrib’s Early Stage Researchers.
Esperanza is researching the Optimisation of Scanning Strategies for 3D Printed Artificial Joints at Imperial College London, UK.