Escaping the Stress: Hiking in Delaware Water Gap

By Molly Edwards (Email Molly at: mje0407@live.esu.edu)
SC Staff Writer

There’s nothing like climbing atop a rocky platform and observing the view from 1200 feet up. These moments are when we feel most alive, yet if you’re a college student, you’ve probably experienced these moments infrequently. Classes, strict work schedules, mounds of homework and other campus obligations trap our free time, preventing us from experiencing the carefree beauty that exists so close to hectic campus life.

A mere five miles from East Stroudsburg University will bring students to the most beautiful sights and awe-inspiring adventures. That old expression, “take a hike,” holds new meaning while being so close to The Delaware Water Gap Recreational Area.

If somebody tells you to “take a hike,” they’re kindly telling you to enjoy nature and take advantage of this area while you’re so close to it—at least, that’s how you can decipher that slight. There are so many different trails to hike around in the Delaware Water Gap area that it’s hard to pick just one. Would you prefer walking alongside a rushing river? Perhaps you’d like to climb your way through cutout hillsides that expose layer upon layer of rock. Maybe a long, easy-paced excursion through a less complicated trail would be best? Any of these options will open your eyes to the wonderful world of hiking and keep you coming back for more.

Throw away that age-old excuse, “but I don’t have time.” One piece of advice I can give to you—make time! As students, we need to take a break and escape for a while to a world where books, professors, and classes do not exist. Your sanity will thank you.

Another tidbit of advice: leave all electronics at home.

Too often we forget the ways in which people lived before us. Cell phones and ipods weren’t in the pockets of every man, woman and child walking by. These people, or “dinosaurs” as our generation perceives them, were able to live a simple and happy life full of the outdoor world. In other words, hiking and “Facebooking” do not mix.

So what are you waiting for? Grab hiking boots, collect some friends, and let the trails carry you to a simpler time.