Hiking English Lesson
It’s important to focus on what you love when you learn English. One of my biggest hobbies is hiking, so I’m going to talk about that today in the hope that some of you might like it too. I’ll do my best to introduce good phrases along the way.
What is Hiking?
What is hiking? – long walks, especially across the country
Trekking – sounds harder than hiking, arduous
Backpacking – often long term and connected with travel
Expedition – a journey with a group of people with the purpose of exploration,
Stroll – walking at a relaxed and leisurely pace
My dad took me for long walks a lot as a kid, and at the time I despised them! I remember complaining a lot and I probably just wanted to play video games at home. In hindsight, I can see that they were good experiences and perhaps that paved the way for it to become part of my life now.
Why Hike?
There are many reasons why I love to hike, mainly I love the sense of freedom you get when you are alone in nature. It’s nice to have solitude. It’s nice to be alone with your thoughts and have time to unwind and reflect on things. I think it’s very healthy for the mind to have that break from busyness and noise.
Additionally, it’s good for your body. It goes without saying that the movement is good for your legs and the air is good for your lungs.
I also enjoy honing my sense of direction. I believe that a person’s sense of direction is not innate, but that it can be improved over time, like any over skill. I find it fun to walk through the woods and see how observant I can be so that I can find my way back without using any map. It’s almost like a challenge to myself. Sometimes I’ll even recognise the same trees to signal that I’m going the right way!
Travel & Geocaching
Hiking while travelling is a great way to see a new country and to really get off the beaten path. One of the best things for me, however, is how friendly people are. This seems to be a universal feature of hiking. No matter where you are, people are much friendlier when you bump into them on a hiking trail. There will often be an exchange of greetings and even a short conversation may follow.
Actually, one of the things I love to do when exploring outside is Geocaching. This is available in almost every country in the world. Very simply, it’s an app that uses GPS to find hidden containers around the world. Once you find them, you can write your name and mark them as “found” on the app. It’s a simple and fun activity to do while hiking, and best of all, it gives me somewhere to go. Deciding where to walk to can be overwhelming at times, so just going to the place where there are geocaches is an easy solution. It always brings me somewhere unexpected and often beautiful.
My Best Memory
After returning from a walk, I always feel refreshed and reinvigorated.
When I think of my best memories of hiking, they are mostly ones in France, particularly in the Alps, where there are so many fantastic trails but also, most importantly, breathtaking beauty in every direction. It’s amazing to walk across the mountains and the meadows with the backdrop of snow-capped mountains and the distant ringing of cowbells that echoed throughout the mountain valleys. It’s a unique atmosphere and one I’ll never forget.
Vocabulary
- Arduous – Requiring a lot of hard effort
- Leisurely – In a relaxed and unhurried way
- Despise – To hate
- In hindsight – Reviewing the past even though it can’t be changed
- Pave the way – To make progress or development easier
- Solitude – Being alone in a positive way
- Unwind – To relax, release stress
- Reflect – To think about a past experience or event
- Hone – To gradually perfect and improve over time
- Innate – Natural to something
- Off the beaten path – Somewhere most people don’t go
- Overwhelming – Too much to handle or cope with
- Reinvigorated – Refreshed with new energy and strength
- Breathtaking – Something really incredible
- Backdrop – The background of a scene
- Snow-capped – Something (usually mountains) with snow at the top
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Hi Michael lavers, I am Sara from Qatar.
I just want to say that you’re podcast is amazing and I learned a lot from it In addition to that, it’s really enjoyable and clear,
Thanks so much, Sara! Nice of you to come and say that. Glad you’re learning with me!
I really learned a lot from your lesson. thanks so much!
That’s great to hear! Thanks for listening
I love it! , please , keep the words or vocabulary like that every podcast
Thanks so much for that feedback. I’ll keep that in mind for the future