It’s a weekend at Northern, it’s the beginning of the semester and you and your friends have nothing to do. Your only source of entertainment is counting the asbestos particles in the air and hoping the cancer will relieve you from this boredom.

Suddenly you hear that the hall is going on a hiking trip so you and your friends decide to tag along. You drive down 550 looking at all the beautiful trees forming walls on both sides of the road. You arrive at the hiking trail immediately immersed in the beauty of the trail.

Everything is a bright shade of green and you can hear birds chirping in the distance, you feel good inside, way better than you did being stuffed in your dorm.

This whole scenario is why I like going to Northern. What Northern may lack in on-campus activity it makes up with its surrounding landscape. We have an advantage that many other colleges do not have. Sure, frat parties and campus concerts are cool, but those can be found on a majority of campuses.

How many campuses can you drive not even ten minutes away and completely isolate yourself in nature’s beauty? There is so much to explore out there: waterfalls, caves, ravines, rivers, mountains, cool plants, islands and much more. So why not take advantage of it? Besides seeing all these cool things the benefits give even more reason for exploring.

Now, I realize that there are some people who are not the most outdoorsy people. I’m not asking you to go hike twenty miles every day, but to just take advantage of what is available.

Hiking in itself provides a lot of health benefits along with social ones. Just getting outside into the sunlight helps your body gather vitamin D which it needs to stay happy. Hiking helps overall body fitness decreasing obesity.

After a long hike your body also starts to release endorphins regardless of how fast or slow you walk, helping decrease anxiety. Just got done with a hard test and need to relax? Go on a short hike; you will feel better at the end of it and be ready for the rest of the day. Hiking can provide many advantages as well.

Getting outside can introduce you to a wide array of different people.

During the fall and spring many students at Northern spend a lot of time outside, inviting people to hike or sit around a fire. If you have trouble getting out to the trails find a group of people who are heading out; it is always good to have extra company on a hike and it’s a great way to meet new people.

Many different dorm houses on campus will take their house on a hike multiple times during the year. This is a great way to get in touch with other members of your hall who also like to hike. So grab some friends, your boots and your outdoor backpack and go explore the landscape. Besides, I’d rather take a deep breath of fresh Marquette air than hangout with the asbestos in the dorms.