“There are few times that I feel more at peace, more in tune, more Zen, if you will, than when I force myself to unplug.”

-Harlan Coben

With technology the way it is, it almost doesn’t seem possible that we can disconnect or unplug from our every day lives, if even for an hour. This quote by Harlan Coben, however, sums up the truth more than anything that I could tell you. As always, I relate most of the quotes that I find directly to my love of hiking. That is my time to “unplug” and when I am out in the woods, I truly am at peace.

As like everyone else, I do carry a cell phone when I hike. However, I turn it off prior to hitting the trail and I don’t check it until I am finished. The only time that I will deviate from this is if I am going to be late or I change my route. At my somewhat advanced age of 52, I make a conscious effort to do this because if I am late my family will assume that I have been eaten by roaming groups of wild animals.

I do find it a shame that we have to “force” ourselves to unplug. It would seem like a natural thing to do, especially after sitting behind a computer screen all day. Or after the many hours doing whatever it is people do on their cell phones.

The bottom line is this-You have to unplug and disconnect at some point. It is imperative for your mental health, and for those around you!

UNPLUG! UNPLUG! UNPLUG!

Happy Hiking!!!