Trail I: Hike and Chill? ☕️

Trail II: The Power of Friendship ⚡️

Good Morning! ☀️

Man, do I have something cool to share with y’all.

On October 18th, Down to Earth is collaborating with the Ise Collective for an exciting outdoor adventure: Hike n' Chill.

It’ll be a low pressure space to slow down, connect with new and old friends, and break bread before enjoying a hike in Upstate New York.

Like Down to Earth, Ise Collective is all about easy living, community, and connection.

It’s good timing, because in Chapter 2, we’ll explore the evolutionary power of friendship and connection after previewing Hike n Chill.

Enjoy, my friends! 🌎

A Cabin In The Woods 🌲

One big reason I started the DTE Hiking Club is to build community.

If you aren’t floating around spending a generous sum of cash in the gloomy bastions of big city bars, you might feel a little bit like I did.

Lonely.

Despite having hundreds of close friends, family members and collaborators constantly around me, we were all missing something.

Something that allowed us all let go of our social performances – something that eased the soreness of labor-driven burnout.

Something bigger than ourselves. Something with meaning and purpose.

We were starved, and the only thing that could satisfy us would be community.

Community – There’s so much power in fostering a cohort of like-minded individuals. And it feels good to be a part of something, especially when the pretense is wellness, happy living, and other people.

So we built our foundation. We started hiking every month or so. We made friends, and we built trust.

Well … now what?

When I realized there was several levels to building and even scaling community, I resolved to take us up a notch.

The next level of community calls for a few things: intimacy, collaboration and challenge.

A look back at Ise Collective’s first Hike n Chill event 👇🏽

That’s why we’re joining forces with the Ise Collective for an upgraded outdoor experience, complete with new people, new experiences, and of course, new challenges.

That excites me.

So here we are, standing on the edge of the next level. Ready to be a part of it?

RSVP below, and I’ll see you on the trail! 🍁

Friends: There’s Nothing More Powerful ⚡️

Science has shown that the keys to long-term success, health, and prosperity all have one thing in common: Friends!

Healthy relationships reinforce key systems in the body that make us live longer and happier. On the other hand, loneliness kills …

It might sound extreme, but it makes sense in the context of human evolution.

You’ve heard people say “humans are social creatures,” right?

But what does that really mean?

Let’s start from the beginning.

Way back in the day, our ancestors quickly figured out that sticking together in groups was a lot safer than doing it alone.

When you're living in the wild, there's strength in numbers.

You're less likely to become a predator's lunch if you're part of a group.

This need to survive was one of the driving forces behind our social nature.

There’s a Lion By The River! 🗣️

Socializing also played a huge role in developing our communication skills.

To work together effectively, early humans needed to communicate.

The groups that found more diverse and sophisticated ways to do this moved forward – the better we could communicate, the better we could cooperate, plan, and innovate.

What more specific way to communicate than words?

In came language.

What if Caveman 1 refused to tell Caveman 3 that a hungry-looking lion was nearby because he was harboring resentment? The tribe would be done. Fried.

This is why we communicate. We use our words.

Being a good team player came with its perks. It still does, really.

Being kind and helpful, especially with words and actions, boosts your status within a group.

The lesson? Goodness, fairness, and love win.

So, in a nutshell, socializing is wired into our DNA because it helped our ancestors survive, reproduce, and evolve into the complex social beings we are today.

Kicking it is a non-negotiable requirement of being a human.

Don’t Do It Alone 🙅🏽‍♂️

Flying solo is really not that effective.

We’re taught to be independent and self-sufficient, yet there’s hardly messaging about loving our neighbors and keeping friends close.

When was the last government PSA you saw urging you to reach out to an old friend because it’s good for your health?

Instead, in the late stages of capitalism and the dawn of technocracy AI, we’re being funneled further into isolation.

I find that funny, because according to science, the more friends you have, the longer you live. 

That should make intuitive sense. Think about those times when you've been really stressed out, and then you hang out with your buddies – somehow you just start feeling better.

That's because being around friends can increase your body's production of the "feel-good" hormone, oxytocin, which calms your nerves and boosts your mood.

It even strengthens your overall mental health, making you less likely to experience depression or anxiety down the road.

Hanging out with friends also encourages more movement and activity.

For me, that means hitting the gym together, taking long walks, or playing a sport.

Healthy af.

Keep Your Friends Close … 🤞🏽

Now, about the COVID situation … it kinda threw a wrench in the whole hanging out thing, right?

With all the cultural shifts and social distancing, many people stopped hanging out – and that habit stuck.

During the pandemic, lots of people experienced a spike in loneliness and stress because they weren’t getting their usual dose of friend time.

In the post-pandemic era, I believe it’s more important now than ever to reconnect and keep those bonds strong (as if you needed another reason to join our hikes 😶)

So, yeah, making time to hang out with friends is a key part of self-love and care. That’s the obvious part.

The bigger takeaway here is that we were made to do this, and we can get even better at it if we try.

It’s a beautiful thought – the idea of humans being even more social and cooperative than we are now, way down the line where togetherness is our only hope against whatever dystopian sci-fi future that lies ahead.

It would signify that, somewhere around 2025, humans decided to prioritize love and oust doubt and negativity, developing a society based on the greater good of love itself.

And you had a hand in shaping it.