By 
We don’t get outside enough. Phones, social media, video games, and computers consume our lives.
Every day, we spend more time on a screen in the virtual world than in the real one, and we miss out on the present moment.
That’s why I think everyone should find an outdoor hobby.
Here at Carroll, we are fortunate to have mountains, rivers, lakes, and a couple of beautiful National Parks surrounding us. It is what makes our college experience unique compared to other schools.
Going to rivers around Helena, like the Little Blackfoot or Missouri River, has been one of my favorite parts of choosing to attend a school in Montana. Every trip out into nature is an escape from a fake digital world into the here and now.
The outdoors is relaxing, dangerous, and beautiful.
Time stops when you are on the banks of a river, skiing down a snowy slope, or hiking up a narrow dirt trail.
Some of my favorite memories from my time at Carroll will be fly fishing the Missouri River in April with my friends, catching a fish in the Blackfoot River with one of my closest friends at Carroll, walking out on a frozen lake for the first time, and driving the Sun Road in Glacier National Park with my girlfriend, Elizabeth.
Notice something? Not one of those experiences involved scrolling through Instagram garbage, liking a TikTok, or posting a story on Snapchat. All those adventures were in the moment.
Now, I’m not saying social media and technology and social media are evil. I enjoy watching YouTube, creating videos, or going on Instagram. I’m currently applying for jobs in the digital world and social media.
However, we need balance when it comes to social media and items like our smartphones.
I believe that we are meant to be in the outdoors – hunting, fishing, hiking, biking, camping, whatever it may be.
That is why I think everyone should find an outdoor hobby. So, find a river, a trail, a lake, or a forest and get into the real world.
