I loved going on the walk in the botanic garden! It was a great way to take a break from studying and enjoy some fresh air. I have never gone before and it was a great experience.

For this week, I signed up for a walk through Cornell’s gardens. I ran into some friends from Rose House, and was glad to walk with them across campus into the gardens! From there, we looped around, and saw the gorgeous plant life that was beginning to emerge from the snow.

My favorite part of this walk was seeing my friends, and walking with them through the nature. We were able to see a part of Cornell that we wouldn’t have encountered otherwise, because it’s so out of the way of all our classes. I learned a lot from my friend about New York’s landscapes, which was new to me, having come from California. We don’t have snow where I’m from, so I was really eager to hear how the environment deals with harsh conditions that occur cyclically. An added benefit was seeing these plants and animals in person, over the course of the walk.

The botanic gardens hike was a lot of fun! I think we were pretty lucky to have the weather be nice especially since it was a bit unpredictable last week. It’s been a while since I’ve really had the chance to walk & talk with people longer than like, 10 minutes. Admittedly, my legs were kind of feeling it by the time we had gotten back but it was a nice chance to be active and get some sunlight. Personal highlights of the hike: The sculpture garden (relevant to one of the classes I’m taking), the bell (I did not expect it to be that loud when I struck it), Chumley (fantastic dog chilling in one of the ponds) and on the walk back, the greenhouses on the edge of campus (I’m not sure what was going on in them but it was a part of campus I hadn’t really seen before). It was a really nice way to just take a break from work for a few hours and just enjoy the outside for a bit.

Today’s hike to the botanic gardens was much needed. It was a necessary break from academics. I discovered places on campus that I didn’t even know existed and got the opportunity to connect with others who have a love for hiking and the outdoors. It reminded me of life in the beginning of quarantine during which I discovered my love for the outdoors. I would go on hikes in my neighborhood since there was nothing else to do. I turned to nature when I wanted an escape, when I wanted to find peace. Today I was very much at peace, and I enjoyed every second. I’ll definitely take advantage of the warmer weather and make an effort to plan more outdoor activities with friends.

A beautiful view of campus 🙂