Navigating nature

Hiking is supposed to be relaxing, peaceful, even rewarding. That’s what I kept reminding myself on my first-ever hike, lost somewhere in Wissahickon Valley Park on a warm Thursday morning in mid-March.

When I set out to try two of the best-rated hikes in Philadelphia, “Wissahickon Park Orange Trail to White Trail” and “Forbidden Drive and Orange Trail Loop,” I was also trying to understand the appeal of the most popular outdoor recreation activity in the U.S. That popularity shows no sign of stopping. The number of people hiking in the U.S. continues to increase by 1.5% annually, according to Outdoor Foundation’s “2023 Outdoor Participation Trends Report.”

Wissahickon Valley Park is a forested urban watershed park that contains over 50 miles of trails spanning more than 2,000 acres. There are multiple trails ranging from easy to difficult with diverse terrain and wildlife. 

The landscape has a community, Friends of the Wissahickon, that helps maintain its beauty for public enjoyment. This nonprofit organization helps prevent erosion, annually plants trees, hosts community volunteer work, provides job opportunities and sets up guided hike events for beginners.

“I think exercising can be so boring, but it’s fun to go out on a hike. You can make it as easy or hard for yourself,” said Claire Brennan, FOW communications coordinator. 

Joy spread through me as soon as I arrived at the park to find that there was a parking lot, so no parallel parking was required. With my Owala bottle and phone in hand, I walked over the gravel roads and onto the grass trail. As someone who struggles with directions both in cars and on foot, the wooden signs along the path were much appreciated. But the running shoes I chose to wear may not have been the brightest decision for those rocky trails.

“Wear proper shoes. You need traction,” advised Jacob Walsh, a hiker I met at the end of the trail.

In March, the trees were bare but the view was still admirable. By view, I mean the sight of glimmering rocks along the ground as I made my way through the trail, mostly looking down due to the fear of spraining my ankle on the uneven ground.

What made me finally take in the environment as a whole was the sound of the Wissahickon Creek. It drowned out all my overthinking of where to step next and helped me relax. 

I walked over what looked like a nature-made bridge with its rounded, cylinder-like platform and searched for a route to get closer to the stream. I made my way downhill through the muddy grass and closer to the water. Thankfully, the perimeter of the river had dry gravel to sit on, and the embarrassing chance of the back of my pants getting wet was slim.

Sitting on the tiny, rough pebbles was a bit uncomfortable, but the sound of the water rippling as it traveled down the stream was soothing enough to forget about it. I closed my eyes to focus my hearing on the melody nature had to offer. Once I felt content, I went back up and continued the original trail.

Marisa Miller, FOW program assistant, said it’s almost impossible to get lost for too long in the park, but I have a way of making the impossible possible. My original plan was to hike the Orange Trail. I somehow finished in front of the sign that read “Forbidden Drive.”

The experience I had during the hike was lovely, and when I reached the end, I felt accomplished. It was different from the satisfied feeling when completing a task because there was no pressure to finish. It was freeing to do something without the weight of consequences that may arise if it had not been done.

Miller said that is what she loves about hiking, too. 

“You’re always going to see something new,” Miller said. “There’s always going to be some cool wildlife, some hawk flying above that just helps you feel gratitude for the place that you’re in.”