When I lived in North Carolina, I followed a handful of landscape/adventure photographers living in the Pacific Northwest. I remember scrolling through instagram, drooling over all of these beautiful places. I ended up visiting Washington, fell in love with it, and found myself living there a year later. I didn’t know a single soul here except for my grandpa, and unfortunately he couldn’t be my hiking buddy. I knew I had to see these places with my own eyes, even if I had to go by myself. It provided a challenge, and I loved every minute of it. Every day off was spent in the mountains. When I began to meet people, I would tell them about different hikes I did, and often people were shocked that I went on these hikes alone. I was thrown off because I didn’t think it was weird or unusual. However, having lived here for a little over 2 years now, I’ve come to find out that not nearly as many people hike and explore like I would’ve thought, considering how close we are to the mountains. I’ve talked to several people and often the response I get is that they don’t have anyone to go with. There’s absolutely no reason to feel weird hiking or doing anything on your own, for that matter. With hiking in particular, there’s a real beauty in it. After completing multiple hikes by myself and with others, I’ve come to realize that I actually prefer to hike alone, for several reasons. Planning and making decisions is a whole lot easier, and it feels good to take it at your own pace. There’s also something so refreshing about spending alone time in nature. However, I will say that it is nice to be able to share these beautiful experiences with someone else, and it’s great for creating real bonds with other. Whatever your preference may be, don’t let not having someone to go with stop you from going at all. I guarantee you’ll come home feeling refreshed, and glad that you did it.

“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.”

― John Muir