There’s a personal benefit to being in the great outdoors, other than an adventurous-looking social media feed.
Along with exercise, being outdoors has been known to relieve symptoms of depression, reduce stress, increase vitality and restore calm minds. According to the World Health Organization and Canadian Mental Health Association, physical and mental health are fundamentally linked and need to be equally addressed.
Just after Christmas last year, my family and I set out on a back-country ski trip to the Stanley Mitchell Hut in Yoho National Park in B.C.
Our headlamps lighting the way, we set off in the pre-dawn. We spent the day slowly meandering along the valley. By 4:30 p.m. we reached a halfway hut and pushed on to conquer the headwall — the steep climb that would bring us to the upper alpine valleys that stood between our cozy cabin and us.
What had started off as a dreamy ski through a winter wonderland turned into a hellish, never-ending slog to the hut. We were all seeing strange things in our borderline-delirious state and every twinkling of snow looked suspiciously like cabin lights. After a few tears of frustration and what seemed like days in the dark forest — it was 14 hours — the lit-up cabin appeared ahead.
I was ready for my brothers to make snarky comments about how slow I was, but was met with mutual exhaustion and kindness.
For the most part, we are all in the outdoors to inspire and encourage each other, sharing a common goal of exploration and appreciation.
Spending time in nature creates space to think. I mulled over a lot of things I had been processing, discussing some with my family in the evenings. Being away from the Internet, media, and general high-speed environment of our society allowed me to focus on deeper endeavours.
It’s true that not everyone will have time to dip into the woods for days at a time, but even a few minutes walking outside can work wonders on your mental health.
Outdoor pursuits can show you just how capable you are, often much more than you could ever have expected. If someone would have told me how much my legs would feel like Jell-O after 14 hours of uphill skiing, I probably would’ve passed on the trip. Instead, I was shown how strong my body — and mind — could be.
Being outside, especially in the mountains, is humbling. Understanding that we’re part of something so much bigger than ourselves can change our perspective, encouraging more selflessness and compassion towards others and our earth.
For Queen’s students, it’s not hard to find some peace in nature only a few minutes from campus:
Take a quick walk by Lake Ontario. Even a short stroll is enough to clear your mind.
If you’re looking for something a little more adventurous, check out the Kingston Mills, a crag located only a quick 15-minute drive away, for outdoor climbing.
Rock Dunder always makes for a classic Queen’s hike with beautiful scenic views.
Frontenac Provincial Park is located only 40 minutes north of Kingston and offers hiking, canoeing, birding, boating and camping.
There are lots of ways to get involved on campus too. The Queen’s Outdoors Club offers a variety of trips and events. There’s also the Queen’s Climbing Club, Camp Outlook, as well as a number of other running, biking and conservation groups.
Cayla Woelver is a member of the Queen’s Outdoors Club.
Tags
activity, Health, Outdoors, skiing
All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s)-in-Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be contacted, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca.
