Mine probably has to be mountain biking. I just love riding through the forest, sometimes catching some air time and swallowing the occasional fly whilst going downhill at 30km/h.
Mine probably has to be mountain biking. I just love riding through the forest, sometimes catching some air time and swallowing the occasional fly whilst going downhill at 30km/h.
I’m a bird watcher. I go birding every week. I built many sub-hobbies around it: photography, birdsong recording, blogging, cross stitching, and more. I find that when I’m out in nature, I can truly disconnect from my regular life stress and just be present in the moment.
I took this further by training and becoming a Master Naturalist though my local region’s chapter. This opened the door to a great community, learning, and volunteer work.
I love birding. What I think is most beautiful about it is that, (for me at least) it takes a goal-oriented activity of hiking, and turns it into pure discovery.
My approach to hiking was something like “well let’s go around 5 miles”. Then, I would find a hike about that long, go to the end, then turn around and walk back. This kind of approach is such an anemic way to enjoy nature. It’s something to conquer and then I go home when I’ve finished.
With birding, I do essentially the exact same activity, but I have thousands of excuses to just stop and appreciate the world around me. I know many people enjoy hiking in this way, but for me it was about the destination. Birding has transformed the way I go outside.
Besides this, I think the meditative nature of birding has made me more grateful in all aspects of my life.