The Charger Blog
Beatrice Glaviano Ӱԭ26 shares her Spring Break journey of hiking Great FallsӰԭand why unplugging is essential for college life.
March 27, 2025
Author, tapping the mic: ӰԭOh, hey, hi, hello there. How are you?Ӱԭ
Over this past Spring Break, I had the privilege of traveling to Washington, D.C. Why I decided on the District Columbia, I really couldnӰԭt tell you. The AirBnB was a steal, with very lovely people, warm weather, a pretzel place up the block, and, dude, there was so much to do.
Yet, between the bustling city life and museums, I found that my favorite part of the trip was leaving at 7 a.m. to go hiking at the beautiful Great Falls National Park. Was it cold? Yeah, it was only 48° F, and we were armed with trail mix, Smartfood, stickered-up water bottles, and pure determination to complete the hike. For those who are also hiking junkies, we had about 600 feet of elevation (my poor legs), steep cliffs, and decently narrow pathways.
When I originally got into hiking, I kinda hated it. IӰԭd always be the person, yӰԭknow...
Author, hands on her knees and dying: ӰԭHow much-Ӱԭ wheeze Ӱԭ-ڲٳ-Ӱԭ wheeze Ӱԭdo we have left?Ӱԭ wheeze
Needless to say, my cardio has gotten a lot better since then.
IӰԭm not sure if this is a common thing, but does anyone else shove themselves into random hobbies because you know that theyӰԭre good for you in some way, shape, or form? Hiking was my form of shoving myself into a new type of wellness, one that benefitted my mental, physical, and spiritual wellbeing.
ItӰԭs pretty obvious that weӰԭre a fairly phone-centered world. I havenӰԭt seen someone (including myself) pick up a book in a very long time, or any non-fiction article in a very hot minute. Apparently, the average screen time in the U.S. is around 7 hours and 3 minutes per day (Backlinko). ThatӰԭs not fantastic at all. That's negative fantastic if anything. ItӰԭs also not a big secret that screen time is impacting our mental health, and thatӰԭs including our access to social media and news platforms. The solution?
Touching grass.
According to ӰԭNurture by NatureӰԭ by Kirsten Weir, Ӱԭ...exposure to nature has been linked to a host of benefits, including improved attention, lower stress, better mood, reduced risk of psychiatric disorders, and even upticks in empathy and cooperationӰԭ (Weir). Have you ever felt as though when you go outside, you feel a bit of yourself relax?
Some random person in the back: ӰԭNo, I hate nature.Ӱԭ
Author, three espresso shots deep: ӰԭDude, just- just play along with this, okay?Ӱԭ
IӰԭm not trying to play the Lorax or anything, but the environment helps us as much as weӰԭre supposed to help it. The bottom line is: weӰԭre all mammals. No matter which human being you talk to, weӰԭre all pretty much the same genomic soup, with some slight alterations. Imagine it as the same basic cookie recipe that can be used to create different types of cookies; the only question is, do you want raisins or chocolate chips? Regardless of which, weӰԭre all cookies coming from the same master recipe that was also used to create the Earth somehow.
The author is quite partial to oatmeal raisin, but she understands that not all persons may hold such a dignified, existential cookie opinion.
With that being said, IӰԭd like to introduce the concept of the biophilia hypothesis. As described by Marcia P. Jimenez, Ӱԭ...humans have evolved with nature to have an affinity for natureӰԭ (Jimenez). Essentially, we are a part of the natural world around us and will forever hold a deep connection to it at a physical, emotional, social, and spiritual level. WeӰԭre going to more likely enjoy our time within, interacting, and sharing nature with others than not. The biophilia hypothesis also considers that the Earth provides us opportunities to discover creativity, take risks, master skills and techniques, and truly better our brainsӰԭ (Jimenez). Looking back, I think many people were the IӰԭm-going-to-run-around-in-dirt-no-matter-what-mommy-says kids. Dudes, I was a worm freak. I love earthworms! TheyӰԭre great for the environment, donӰԭt eat you, donӰԭt suck out the nutrients from your intestines, and, I donӰԭt know, they can multiply when theyӰԭre cut? IsnӰԭt that great?
Okay maybe itӰԭs kinda freaky, but, hey, man, gotta reproduce somehow 😎
Author, looking in the depths of her laptop and muttering to herself: Ӱԭ...who was the father.Ӱԭ
Gotta ask those questions, people.
When I looked out over the view at Great Falls, everything seemed inconsequential. The water, according to the plaques on the trail, was capable of hitting you with the force of ten thousand basketballs. (ThatӰԭs a lot of basketballs!!). I forgot I was in college; I forgot that my job was to drive an ambulance and help people; I forgot everything IӰԭd ever done for a brief moment and enjoyed what it felt like to just be me.
Just Beatrice.
ӰԭHey, Bea.Ӱԭ
Of course, we couldnӰԭt stay there forever. With sore legs and full hearts, we headed back to the truck to grab some breakfast before going to the Botanical Gardens. Great Falls, looking back, was a great representation of perseverance and hard work. Was I sweating? Yes. Was it cold out? Yes. Had I woken up at the crack of dawn to go on a little walk through a bare forest? Yep.
But, was it worth it?
Absolutely.
I hope this blog has given you some motivation to go out and about into the world (albeit I know the weather has been awful lately) and remember that getting messy can be a good thing. If anyoneӰԭs interested in some good hiking spots in Connecticut, may I recommend:
Of course, some of these are a bit more out of the way than others, but they are all worth the walk, run, bike, or maybe even climb, if permitted 🙂. Make sure to bring snacks!
Stay safe and warm out there, and IӰԭll see you in the next one.
With peace, love, and peanut butter,
Bea
Works Cited
Backlinko. ӰԭRevealing Average Screen Time Statistics for 2024.Ӱԭ Backlinko, 11 Mar. 2024, backlinko.com/screen-time-statistics. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
Jimenez, Marcia P. ӰԭAssociations between Nature Exposure and Health: A Review of the Evidence.Ӱԭ International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 18, no. 9, 30 Apr. 2021, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8125471/, https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18094790. Accessed 21 Mar. 2025.
Weir, Kirsten. ӰԭNurtured by Nature.Ӱԭ American Psychological Association, vol. 51, no. 3, 2020, www.apa.org/monitor/2020/04/nurtured-nature. Accessed 21 Mar. 2025.
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