There’s something fascinating and so incredibly stunning about the beauty that this world has to offer. It would be unfair if I wasn’t able to share the raw beauty found in nature with anybody else. So I decided to do something about it – by starting yet another hiking blog.


Tracing The Trail To My Beginnings

I’m always fascinated to find out why people start hiking. I think it’s fair to say that the majority of us are drawn to the raw types of nature that can be found in this world. Whether it’s trekking deep into a valley or finding a new view from new heights, there’s always new beauty to be found. I think it’s also fair to say that for just about every hiker out there, there’s more to hiking than just the beauty. It’s about discovering something you haven’t seen before, getting lost in your own thoughts, unplugging from reality, and tuning into the noise that nature has to offer (it’s quite loud if you really listen).

My Beginnings

I was born and raised on the Big Island of Hawaii where I spent nearly twenty years living in a town that had less than four thousand people. I was lucky enough to get acquainted with nature at a young age. I grew up where there was just about every kind of environment imaginable: snow capped mountains at over 13,000 feet, rugged coastlines, tropical rain forests, plains covered in grasslands, white sand beaches, and inhospitable lava shield deserts. Getting outside wasn’t an option. It was a way of life and in a certain aspect – a necessity. And it was incredibly rad. With so many different types of environments it was easy to fall in love with what I see as God’s creation and incredible beauty in nature. I fell in love with surfing, getting outside, viewing animals, and listening to the noise of nature.

Growing up

Fast forward to 2002 where since then, I’ve been a permanent resident of San Diego. San Diego has a large urban sprawl with amazing beaches and home to over one million people. I’ve never forgotten my roots of growing up in Hawaii. I’m still in love with being active and keeping as fit as possible. Surfing is my main love but hiking is a close second.  As I get older, it’s a goal of mine to try to explore as many National Parks as possible. I also want to explore new hikes and see new things. Photography is a newer hobby of mine (something I’ve always wanted to take up) and I love capturing the beauty that I see in nature.

For me, hiking does many things:

  • It allows me to de-stress from all the things going on in my day to day life.
  • I feel at peace after listening to the wind blow through the trees, listening to streams or rivers, or hearing whatever birds or animals I encounter along the way.
  • Hiking has a spiritual component to it for me. I often use the isolation to reflect on thoughts and connect with God.
  • The beauty is breathtaking. There are views that can’t be seen by not exploring hiking trails.
  • Hiking is recharges me: whenever I complete a hike I feel at ease and ready to take on the world once again.
  • Hiking allows me to get creative with photography and capture moments in nature that I find absolutely amazing.

This is what hiking does for me and why I do it. What’s your motivation for hiking? I’d love to hear it. Leave a comment or share your story.