Connect with Nature
Here, the JOURNEY category includes activities that get us outside and help us connect with nature. This can be as low key as a walk through a park, a guided fly-fishing trip, or even a Sunday afternoon drive in the mountains. It also includes activities as invigorating as whitewater rafting, backpacking, downhill skiing and mountain biking.
Explore the Forest and the Trees 
One of the most obvious benefits of exploration is the physical activity that’s involved. While you can get exercise just by walking on a treadmill, there’s something about experiencing these types of activities in a natural environment that magnifies the benefits. Have you ever been to a location where you could witness the Northern Lights or traveled to a dark-sky site to stare up at the stars? Can you remember the last time you walked barefoot through the grass or laid on the ground and watched the clouds float by? If you can, you may also have experienced that sense of calmness and tranquility that washes over us when we are focused on or immersed in nature. And while that feeling might seem trivial and fleeting, the physical benefits we gain from those activities are significant and backed by science.
One of my favorite activities is hiking in the mountains. I know how invigorated I feel after a hike, but it wasn’t until I read an article about forest bathing that I really understood the deeper benefits. According to Japanese medical doctor and researcher Dr. Qing Li in his book Forest Bathing: How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness explains how spending time in a forest can not only reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, but it can also strengthen the immune system.
The immune-boosting benefit is the part that I found really intriguing. Research has shown that plants and trees emit natural airborne chemicals called phytoncides that help protect themselves from insects and help fight disease. We breathe in these chemicals while walking through a forest and our bodies respond by increasing the number and activity of a type of white blood cell called natural killer (NK) cells. These NK cells are our bodies’ natural defense against viruses and cancer because they kill tumor and virus infected cells. There’s a great article by the NY State Dept. of Environmental Conservation that explains this in more detail.
Ground Yourself
Another practice that has been around for a few years but is new to us is called ‘Earthing’ or grounding. As we are just beginning to explore this concept, I’m going to hold off on my personal opinions for the time being. However, if you’re interested in learning more I highly recommend you check out this documentary on YouTube: The Earthing Movie as well as the Earth FX and founder Clint Ober’s official website www.earthing.com. And check back here in a few weeks to learn about our personal experiences with this new age (and old school) practice.
Our Favorite Way To Travel: Van Life
If you really want to get outside and explore new places, you’ll need to do some traveling. Living in Colorado on the edge of the Rocky Mountains with a dog in tow, we decided the best way for us to explore is via camper van. Our dog Sofi is just a bit too big to fit in a carrier that fits under the seat on a plane, so the van allows us to travel with her while exploring and wild camping our way through the mountains and across the west. It also meets the needs of both Todd and I even though we have different interests.
While Todd and I both love hiking, Todd’s more of an adventurer and I’m more of a creative homebody. He likes to mountain bike, fly fish and ski and I am more interested in drawing, painting and photography. The van allows us to travel together to destinations we both enjoy. Then he can have his daily adventure excursions while I hang back in our little home on wheels with Sofi. Once parked, I am free to grab my sketchbook, my camera and my pup and explore the local wilderness while Todd does his thing. At the end of the day, we come back together in our van to share a tasty meal and a beverage, and share stories of our day around a crackling campfire.
Exploration and Mindfulness
Have you ever noticed how different it feels to drive the same vehicle on different routes? For example, the experience of driving on a crowded urban highway in rush hour traffic is completely different than driving a beautiful winding road through a stone canyon that opens onto gorgeous, expansive skies. I could drive for hours along those scenic highways and be perfectly content. The urban drive with the honking and exhaust fume filled air is another story. The sounds, the smells, and sights are all part of the experience. In fact, I would venture to suggest that the environment is often even more important than the activity.
When meandering through a forest, it doesn’t matter if traveling by way of a bike, snow shoes, or my old hiking boots, I believe what’s most important is my ability to be mindful; To breathe deep and notice the intoxicating scent of pine; To listen to the sounds of the breeze rustling the leaves, or the roaring waves of the ocean; To watch the colors in the sky change as the sun sets, or just to notice the way the midday sun lights up the Aspen leaves making their edges glow as if they’re on fire.
Art on Location
The key to immersing myself in an experience and getting all the benefits of being in nature is directly related to my ability to be present and mindful. There are times when I find it easy to focus but oftentimes my cluttered mind has other plans. At times like this, my art practice is a great help. First off, the process of making art has taught me to pay closer attention to everything. Before, if someone were to ask me to paint a cloudy sky without a reference image, it probably would have looked like something a 5 year old would have drawn. But since starting an art practice, I’ve started to see the world like an artist.
The clouds overhead are generally much larger than the ones off in the distance. And I’ve noticed while some clouds have poofy tops, the bottoms are usually fairly flat. And sometimes the clouds form neat lanes in the sky that sweep off diagonally into the distance. I notice where the highlights and the shadows are and how the way it looks is related to the time of day and location of the sun.
When I am actively drawing or painting something, the experience is even more immersive. As I work in my sketchbook, I notice details I never would have noticed otherwise, and as a bonus end up remember the experience in vivid detail. For more on the benefits of sketch and art journaling, click here.
Van Build Plans & Course- Coming Soon
Last year we bought a new cargo van and converted it into a beautiful but compact camper van. Our Mercedes Metris holds everything we need (including a composting toilet, indoor and outdoor kitchenettes, a convertible bed/lounge area and even a slide out travel seat for our dog) and it fits neatly in our standard size garage. We are thrilled with the results! Currently we are working on a full set of build documents and videos to offer to those who are interested in building out their own van. If you would like to be notified as the release date approaches, please subscribe using the link on our home page.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This page contains an affiliate link. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. However, I only recommend products I either use myself and absolutely love, or their equivalents (some of my tools are no longer available but I always check the specifications and reviews carefully before recommending any alternative products)! Thank you for supporting Blue Quarry when you shop.
Attributions: Photos by Colton Sturgeon, Steven Kamenar, Joel Wyncott and Toomas Tartes on Unsplash