Take a hike.
Who hasn't been told that at one time or another? But there's nothing aggressive about my statement. Far from it. I'm at total peace when I suggest it. With the weather finally turning warmer (but not too warm), this is the perfect time to go for a hike.
It doesn't have to be a climb up Mt. Washington. It doesn't have to be so exhausting that you need to hire a sherpa. But there's no reason not to explore the outdoors. According to one survey, the number of people who hiked in the U.S. soared 34 percent from 2015 to 2020. And those numbers have undoubtedly grown during the pandemic.
Why not?
Most hikes require little money, outside of the cash you need to fill up your car with gas. There are few safer socially distancing activities than hiking, as well. I've always loved the outdoors, but never hiked a mountain until a couple of years ago when my daughter Lyndsay and I climbed Mount Monadnock in Jaffrey and Dublin, N.H. Mount Monadnock is reportedly the third most-climbed mountain in the world, behind only Mount Fuji in Japan and Tai Shan in China.
The day we hiked Mount Monadnock was only six days after I ran the Philadelphia Marathon. No brain, no pain, I guess.
Since then I've climbed Mount Major, Gunstock Mountain, Belknap Mountain, Mount Moosilauke, Wachusett Mountain and Mount Watatic. Lyndsay, Misty and I hiked Watatic a couple of weeks ago and I was surprised it was just an hour's drive.
We New Englanders are blessed with terrific hiking destinations in all directions. So ... take a hike.
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