The sun breaks through the towering, deciduous trees sending a sprinkling of light down to the cool forest floor. Basking in a patch of sun is junior Tess Bond, enjoying one of her very favorite pastimes: hiking.

“I just like being out in nature,” Tess said. “I feel like it’s a stress reliever– just walking and talking with friends [and] the breath of fresh air. I just really like it. It’s a break from everything, and it’s really a de-stressor.”

Tess isn’t the only FHC student who loves spending her time in the woods and wants to share that love. Junior Charlotte Partak was also interested in the idea, and she played a part in creating the FHC Hiking Club with Tess.

Tess and Charlotte’s love for hiking and being outside stem from a childhood spent indoors and outdoors doing hiking and other outdoor activities.

“I live in the woods and would always go explore with my dad as a kid,” Charlotte said, “but more recently, my friends and I just go to talk and get away from the stress of everything else.”

The decision to connect others with the outside world through hiking didn’t come to Tess and Charlotte spontaneously. This past summer, Tess has been able to hike more and grow her love for the outdoors through hiking trips outside of Michigan.

“I love hiking,” Tess said. “I’ve been hiking ever since I was little. It’s not like I do full on hiking, but I grew up in the outdoors. This summer, I started hiking a lot more in Colorado and at the Half Dome in California. So I think that kind of made me like hiking even more. Hiking Half Dome was probably my biggest accomplishment when it comes to hiking.”

Tess and Charlotte’s friend and fellow hiking buddy, junior Rachael Yoder, is also thrilled to help create the Hiking Club. Like Tess and Charlotte, she believes that FHC is full of students who are ready to set down their technology and pick up a pair of hiking boots.

“There are many adventurous spirits in FHC that enjoy being in nature,” Rachael said, “and I think they would all be interested in [participating] in the Hiking Club.”

A common thread that all the girls have voiced is that hiking is a great way to spend time with your friends outside of school.

“People should join the hiking club because it will give you the motivation to go on that hike you’ve been wanting to go on and meet some great new people while having good talks,” Charlotte said.

Rachael has seen the benefits hiking has had in her own life and wants to share them with other students. From getting to see more of your state to getting to hang out with your friends, hiking has a lot of positive aspects.

“I believe it is a good way to get together with friends outside of school without the pressure of school,” Rachael said.

For Tess and Rachael, hiking has always been a part of their lives. They can’t wait for other students to experience the great feeling you get from disconnecting from the world and getting to truly experience nature and the world.

“I just hope I get people out there,” Tess said. “I feel like in today’s society everyone is always on their phones. [Hiking Club will] get people off their technology and outside, [so they can] enjoy nature.”