- Down to Earth
- Posts
- NYC's Hottest Hiking Club 🌎
NYC's Hottest Hiking Club 🌎
We're leveling up. You coming?
Red Young
August 31, 2025 • Reading time: 5 minutes
It’s been a year since our first Down to Earth hike.
I’m so proud of how much the club has grown!
Our dozens of members are the coolest people you could ever meet.
Dare I say, they’re all down to earth …
The Hike Squad 😤🌎
So many first-time hikers have become seasoned outdoor hobbyists over the last year.
I have witnessed their networks, friendships and spirits being bolstered all the while.
Most importantly, peace through nature has been achieved.
As New Yorkers, we crave these dimensions on a deep level.
The views from Arden Point, our most recent exploration.
For those living in cities, or in the post-covid, smartphone-addicted world we all live in, it can be so challenging to truly connect with others.
There’s so much stimulation and chaos all around us, pulling us away from the people and activities that fulfill our spiritual and social needs.
Our inherent need to immerse in nature also gets pushed to the wayside.
It can be even more challenging to find venues and communities where alcohol isn’t at the center of activity.
Further, the monotonous cycle of “working hard to play hard” just gets exhausting.
Our creativity and vitality struggles in this environment, to the point where urban living is more of a struggle than an advantage.
The easy solution to this issue?
Climbing. Swinging. Breathing. Laughing. Chilling.
Just kicking it.
The ladies of the hiking club.
Getting out of our comfort zones doesn’t have to be grueling – it just has to push boundaries, and motivate toward growth of spirit, body and mind.
To make a long story short, that’s what we’re doing with the Down to Earth Hiking Club.
We’re exploring, making friends, and living life to its fullest extent, even as New York City dares us to do otherwise.
Speaking of daring …
On this last hike, we encountered a funny little side quest.
In the thick of the wooded trail up in Garrison, New York, we stumbled upon a massive vine dangling from an overhead tree. Something like 50 feet in the air.
Naturally, a few of us decided to follow our ancient ape instincts, and grab on.
Exploring some of the ruins on the Glenclyffe Loop Trail.
If you’ve never swung on a vine before, it’s not exactly what you’d expect.
“I’ll just swing for a couple seconds and jump off,” I thought. “Just like in the movies.”
Once I lifted off, I quickly realized just how vulnerable I was.
Dangling above rocks and broken roots will really test your willpower to hold on.
I know, it doesn’t look that high up, but trust me …
Cipher deep in thought after lunch.
From the upper body strength required to swing and hold on, to the unexpected speed of travel, vine-swinging is not for the weak.
Just ask the other hikers who stumbled and flailed.
Think you have what it takes? You’ll have to join the next adventure to try it out.
That detour was one of many that made the outing so much more memorable.
The view from up high.
This one-year anniversary hike might have been the best one of all, and it proved that people are looking for something meaningful and challenging to incorporate into their lives.
On top of all that, the strong element of community holding it all together is a rare blessing.
The Down to Earth Hiking Club is proving to be a wonderful movement, and I’m eager to include you all into it.