Recently, I came upon a period in my life where I had too much time on my hands and nothing productive to make use of that time. I tried to learn a new skill or find a new hobby to explore to pass the time, but I got bored with every new endeavor. I learned how to knit, sew, I planted a garden, even took up painting for a bit (not my specialty to say the least), but none of those things sparked an interest in me, and I quit them as quickly as I began them.

One spring morning, I was woken up by my sister practically breaking down my door begging me to go hiking with her at the state park closest to our house. Reluctantly, I rolled out of bed and drove us to FDR State Park to hike the Wolfden Loop trail. To say that I did not want to spend my morning walking through the woods in the Georgia heat was an understatement. However, once we started the trail my whole perspective shifted.

The scenery was breathtaking. Scenic overlooks, and luscious trees towered over us along the trail. I was infatuated with the nature surrounding me. The atmosphere was serene and peaceful, a place I could clear my head of all stress and anxiety. I was inspired and left that trail waning to explore more. To think that I am surrounded by so much wildlife and nature made me curious to explore more. The possibilities are endless, but I want to see and explore as much of it as I can in this lifetime.

If it weren’t for my sister dragging me out of bed to go hiking with her that early morning, I would not have experienced all of the trails and their beauty like I have today. My sister and I have since traveled around Georgia to hike some of the most beautiful trails, and intend to embark on many more similar journeys in the future across all of the states. We have made a list of all the National Parks and intend to mark off every one of them as we visit and hike their trails.

My curiosity to explore as much of the nature around me humanly possible defines me in many ways. Spending time in nature makes me curious, curious to explore the thousands of miles of nature trails on this earth. Even though, hiking and being in nature is one of my favorite pastimes, many people do not know this about me because I usually like to explore with only my sister and I.