One of my favorite things about going to school in Prescott is the variety and quality of outdoor activities.I was never really much of an outdoors person until I moved to Prescott.I still wouldn’t say that I am an outdoors-woman, because I when I go camping I really want there to be running hot water. I think the main reason I never got into hiking or rock climbing before college was that my family wasn’t really into it.

I really tried hiking for the first time when I moved out to Prescott, and since then I have fallen in love with the diverse landscapes and climates of the West.I grew up in Houston, which for thousands of years was actually an ocean bed.As a result, the landscape of East Texas is fairly flat, and it’s not even reasonable to drive to a mountain.I think it’s about a 12 hour drive to the nearest mountains, either to the Guadalupe Mountains in West Texas, or to the Smokey Mountains out around Tennessee and Virginia.

Since of I have lived in Prescott, I have taken several opportunities to venture out and try new outdoor activities.There are several reasons why I now love to hike.First, hiking gives me a sense of accomplishment.It is as relaxing as watching TV or reading a book for me, but it’s much better for my body, and helps me to feel physically healthier when I’m finished. Secondly, it gives you a chance to get away – away from people and anything else that is stressing you, to spend time with someone you care about and to admire the beauty and serenity of nature.

A good place for any Riddle student to start is at the Granite Dells, which are practically right across the street from the school.

In the picture above, I am climbing up a steeper part of the Dells. Hiking the Granite Dells is really a cross between hiking and rock climbing. Whenever I go to the dells, my legs always feel like I’ve done a few hundred lunges about 12 hours afterward.

Whenever I go to hike in the Dells, my goal is to hike to the dam that creates Willow Lake. It can take about two hours one way, or as little as an hour if you are a good hiker in good shape. It’s an awesome halfway point in the hike to stop, eat a granola bar, and enjoy the beautiful scenery around it.

Hiking in the dells affords great views of the dells themselves as well as Willow Lake.

After hiking the dells, there are so many places to hike in Northern Arizona.  One of my favorite places is Sedona, which has some of the most beautiful scenery in the west, and it’s less than an hour from the school.

This is a picture of me on top of a plateau in Sedona. Some of the most beautiful and challenging hiking that I have done has been in Sedona. On this trip, I learned that you should always bring foul weather gear with you while hiking, even if the forecast only predicts a 10 percent chance of rain. When I started this hike, it was sunny and pretty out, but I finished the hike in a thunder, lightning, and hail storm. I was drenched to the bone and freezing! Be prepared!

This is a great shot of the red rocks of Sedona that I took while hiking.

Another advantage of being at Embry-Riddle in Prescott, AZ, is that the Grand Canyon, one of the greatest natural wonders in the world, and the  great hiking that comes with it is only about two hours away.

This is a picture of my over a hiking trip to the Grand Canyon Spring Break Freshman year. The Grand Canyon is only about a two hour drive from the school.

This is a picture that I took of the Grand Canyon at sunset. Being so close to the Grand Canyon means that you can watch the sunset there and be back on campus by 9:00 that night.

After getting a little taste of hiking, some friends of mine talked me into going rock climbing (with ropes and everything).  Before this I had never even climbed a man-made rock wall.  Rock climbing is both one of the scariest and most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had, and it’s definitely not something that I can do back in Houston.

Every time I go climbing, I get about 10 feet off the ground and think, why on earth did I decide to do this again? But by the time I make it to the top my fears are mostly gone and have been replaced by a huge sense of pride. I defeated the cliff!

In this picture, I am climbing a rock face, about 40 feet off the ground.

Here is a close up of my adventures in rock climbing.

Whatever your skill level or motivations, there are tons of enjoyable outdoor activities in Northern Arizona that is sure to challenge or relax the typical college age student. Not that anyone at Riddle is really a typical college age student…we’re all pretty unique.  One might say as unique as the climate and landscape where the school is located, but then again that might be too corny… 🙂