By: Mecca R. Dennehy
Roadtrips are ten times better with a co-pilot feeding you chips, hikes feel easier with long conversations with your best friends, and sunsets seem way more colorful with your friends there to share the view. While a solo hike may be needed every once in a while, group outdoor activities make the best memories.
The Facts
We are wired to connect with each other: it’s human nature. We want to share moments with close friends, make memories with loved ones, and feel a deep connection with the people we surround ourselves with. In turn, we feel happier, have higher self-esteem, and have lower rates of anxiety and depression. Connecting with others may even lengthen our lives. As Brené Brown states on her website, “Connection is why we’re here; it is what gives purpose and meaning to our lives.”
Safety in Numbers
It’s simply safer to go out into the wilderness with a group instead of by yourself. You are less likely to get stranded if you twist your ankle on a rock, and wildlife like cougars and bears will tend to head the other way once they hear a group of hiking boots hitting the trail as you chat about your lives together. Plus, every person has different strengths, so having multiple people gives you a better chance of surviving out in the woods (and if you don’t have any survival-savvy friends, maybe take a group wilderness first-aid class together!)
Deeper Connection
There’s something about being out in nature together, away from the traffic, the crammed classrooms, and the crowded coffee shops that allow for a deeper connection. Conversations seem to flow easier when you’re out on the trail. Your mind feels at ease after breathing in the fresh air. Going on a hard hike together is a challenge you have to overcome together, and it strengthens your bond with one another. Plus, sharing incredible views together after a long trek, or waking up to see the sunrise together, makes the moment ten times better than if you had witnessed it alone.
We all know life’s best moments are the ones we share with people we love. So when planning your next adventure, be sure to group text your adventure buddies and plan a group activity together in the outdoors. You’ll be able to experience beautiful moments together that you all will look back on in awe. The outdoors is meant to be enjoyed by everyone and bring people together. So we hope you take our advice and plan a trip with your best friends, new friends, family, or whoever—just as long as you get to make some memories together.
About the Author:
Mecca R. Dennehy
Mecca is an adventure writer and photographer based in Oregon and loves everything the rainy PNW has to offer. You can find her hiking to alpine lakes or camping with her husband and her two rescue pups, Finn and Ruby. She is also an adventure wedding and elopement photographer and loves to capture couples as they start the most epic adventure of all together.
