Why I Started a Hiking Club in 2025

Have you ever wanted to toss your phone into the ocean in a desperate attempt to reclaim your time and sanity?

Yup. I have been there, too.

I never followed through on it though because: A) I won’t sleep at night if I pollute the ocean like that, and B) there was a voice in my head, infusing me with doubt, that sounded something like this:

What about my friends and family? How will we stay in touch? Won’t I be lonely without a phone?

Ugh. So I would ignore the part of me that knew I spent too much time on my screen and keep scrolling. But then, after a little while, I would get the itch to trash my phone again.

Sick of feeling caught between my desire to live a more mindful, screen-free life and my perceived obligation to own a smartphone, I decided to tackle this issue head-on in 2025 by starting my own hiking club.

In this post I will share about my journey that led me from screen addict to hike leader that will encourage you to reflect on how you currently nurture your closest relationships and inspire you to unplug more and deepen your social connections.

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Something Was Missing

In the book Reclaiming Conversation, Sherry Turkle distinguishes between conversation and connection. “Connection” encompasses the superficial exchanges that shape the way we connect online and via text message, while “conversation” is her term for the layered, immersive communication that makes in-person encounters so powerful.

Her book argues that digital “connection” is diminishing our ability to enjoy the rich conversations that our brains evolved to crave and excel at. This takes its toll on mental health and people’s capacity for empathy, among other aspects of daily human life.

Like others, I had intuitively arrived at a similar observation. I realized that I was starved for conversation, and my screen wasn’t filling the void.

On Instagram, I was sharing lots of photos of meals I cooked, desserts I baked, outdoor spaces that inspired me, and music that was lighting me up. My friends and family were always quick to “like” it. I was always “in touch” through these low-bandwidth connections, yet it still felt hollow.

What I wanted was for my favorite people to actually taste my kitchen creations, frolic outdoors with me and my family, and dance to awesome music together. No texts. No emojis. No screens. Just the experience of enjoying life together and sharing our gifts while having exciting, supportive conversations about it all.

I started to wonder, what was the point of posting all of these pictures? Especially since while I was taking them, uploading them, captioning them, and constantly refreshing my feed to see who saw it, I was often disregarding the reality right in front of me: my husband, my pets, my baby and my solitude.

It started to feel grimy and uncomfortable. But my breaking point was yet to come.

Battling Screen Addiction

When I started not one but two digital businesses, I officially hit a wall. I was looking at either my phone or my computer from sun up to sun down.

I was burnt out from making reels, posting stories, writing captions, filming, editing and promoting videos, sending newsletters, texting friends, answering calls from my mom, sending cute videos of our daughter to my husband, meal planning, checking the weather, watching YouTube and Netflix, and checking my gd email.

I had quit my full-time corporate job to be a stay-at-home-mom and then an entrepreneur because I wanted to live life on my own terms. Now I was missing the mark.

Depressed and misaligned with my values, it was time for me to take responsibility and make some big, freaky changes to my screen usage.

But I was stuck. I would uninstall Facebook and Instagram from my phone and enjoy a week (sometimes more!) without the intrusion of social media into my life. And then I would think, “Let me sign in to check on just ONE thing. Then I’ll delete the app!”

Sure enough, I would see missed messages from family, news updates, and local mom group drama that I couldn’t resist consuming.

(Also… When I looked around me, everyone else was doing it. Heads buried in their phones, ear pods in, lost in their own little worlds… Why did I have to be difficult by wanting something different?)

An hour later, though, I would finally snap out of it, forgetting about the one thing I logged on to check and feeling like I was falling behind on the rest of my life. And despite my intention to delete the apps again right away, it wouldn’t happen. The apps were ready and willing to distract me from more rewarding and meaningful pursuits in my daily life.

This cycle sounds silly, because it was, but it felt defeating and I had trouble being kind to myself about it. I had the desire to change my ways, but I didn’t have a real plan.

While I would never actually equate my screen addiction with someone’s experience of substance abuse, the truth was: just like any addict, I needed a program.

Finding a Better Way

And then I read Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport and I FINALLY received the jolt of inspiration and validation I needed to quit screens as much as possible. It was a welcome wake-up call.

The book gave me a framework for how to break free from the low-effort, high-distraction world of digital interactions and build something better. Newport didn’t preach a full-on rejection of technology; instead, he offered a strategy for using it intentionally – to support, rather than replace, the meaningful parts of life.

One of the biggest mindset shifts for me was realizing that quitting social media wasn’t enough. If I wanted real connection, I couldn’t just remove the distractions – I had to actively design a more fulfilling way to stay in touch with people. It wasn’t about deleting apps and hoping for the best. It was about creating deliberate, high-quality interactions to replace the shallow ones.

That’s when I started thinking: what if, instead of liking my friends’ pictures from their hikes, we actually went on hikes together?

Creating a Hiking Club

When I thought about what I wanted my mature, intentional adult friendships to look and feel like, this is what I came up with:

*I want deeper conversations.

*I want to embody healthier lifestyles together.

*I want to see each other face-to-face somewhat regularly.

*I want my friends to be friends with each other.

*I want friendships that feel adventurous and supportive.

*I want to be present and distraction-free.

*I want friendships that inspire personal growth.

*I want to create shared memories through meaningful experiences.

*I want friendships that feel reciprocal and nourishing.

Hiking felt like the perfect fit for my goals. Meeting up on the trails would boost our physical health, challenge us, renew our mental clarity, give us plenty of uninterrupted time together, and cultivate a stronger appreciation for nature and each other.

So I decided that I would invite potential hiker friends to meet up once a month in 2025, at a different trail each time, to explore the outdoors. I picked some dates on my calendar, drafted an email and sent it out, quick and dirty style, without overthinking it. (Which is the best way to start a club!)

What Happened Next

When I first floated the idea of starting a hiking club, the responses were mixed. Some of my friends were instantly excited, already imagining scenic trails and the camaraderie of group adventures. Others were a bit skeptical – worried about waking up early, the physical effort, or simply stepping out of their comfort zones. A few even joked that I’d have to drag them up the trails. But overall, curiosity won out, and a few friends agreed to give it a try.

Our first hike was a short one, chosen to ease everyone into the idea. We quickly learned that hiking has a way of slowing time and sparking meaningful conversations. We talked about everything, from childhood memories to our struggles with work and life.

One particularly memorable moment came when we climbed to the top of a fire tower and gazed out over the New Jersey Pine Barrens stretching for miles in every direction. None of us had realized it was there. We spent time taking pictures, laughing, and realizing how long it had been since any of us had paused to enjoy simple, beautiful moments like that.

Starting the hiking club is subtly – but profoundly – reshaping my friendships. Sharing the challenges of a steep climb or marveling at breathtaking views together brings a level of closeness that texting can never match. We are beginning to grow as a group, supporting and encouraging one another in ways I hadn’t anticipated.

Personally, hiking is more than just a weekend activity. It gives me mental clarity and a deeper appreciation for nature. I feel healthier, happier, and more connected – not only to my friends but also to myself. And while the hiking club started as a way to explore trails, it became a way of strengthening bonds and finding purpose amidst the chaos of daily life.

Building The Friendships You Truly Want

Take a moment to reflect on the friendships in your life. How do you and your friends stay connected? Do your interactions feel fulfilling, or do they mostly exist in the realm of quick texts, social media likes, and “we should catch up soon” messages that never turn into plans?

If you’re craving something deeper, you’re not alone. And the good news? You don’t have to wait for meaningful friendships to just happen – you can create them.

Here’s my challenge for you: Start your own monthly gathering. It doesn’t have to be a hiking club (unless that sounds like your kind of thing!). Maybe it’s a standing game night, a book club, a Saturday morning coffee meetup, a camping club, or a seasonal potluck. The key is to make it intentional – a recurring time when you and your friends come together, in person, to share experiences and strengthen your bond.

Real, meaningful friendships aren’t built on passive interactions. They grow through shared time, effort, and experiences. When you prioritize connection, you’re not just strengthening your friendships – you’re enriching your life. So why not take the first step?

Send the invite. Pick the date. Show up. Your future self (and your friendships) will thank you. (And leave me a comment to let me know what you are brainstorming!)

Please Pin one of the images to your favorite outdoors board if you found this post inspirational and relatable!