I Went Outside Again.

Yesterday, I finally made it out on a small hike. I’ve been in a bit of a rut lately, and even though I had to push myself to get outside, it ended up making all the difference.

It was the most gorgeous day: 55 degrees, full sun, not a single cloud in the sky. I decided to head up to the Boulder Mountains. The drive up there is honestly my favorite part. It’s been warm enough lately to roll the windows down and blast my music, and that’s exactly what I did. I don’t know about anyone else, but when I find a new song I love, I absolutely overplay it - and yesterday that song was “Tunnel of You” by Cannons.

Before leaving, I threw on my new Free People hiking skort, a North face zip-up, my thrifted Columbia jacket, and my go-to Columbia hiking boots. I styled my hair in little space buns, topped it off with a hat, and headed out around 2:15. By 2:45, I was at my spot. the drive really isn’t bad at all, and like I said, driving up into the mountains with the windows down and music playing just feels right.

I’ve probably mentioned this a million times, but my sweet boyfriend got me a new Sony camera for Christmas, and I am completely in love with it. He did so much research because he knows how much I hike and wanted me to be able to capture my adventures. It even has a video recording feature so I can vlog my hikes and share them with everyone - which makes it that much more special.

Anyway, I finally made it to the “parking spot” - which is really more of a pull-off where you hop a fence, but it works. I grabbed my backpack and started my trek. Before I could even walk five feet, I stopped in my tracks, completely taken aback by the way the sun was hitting the mountains. Winter has this unique magic - the sun sets earlier, but the way it lights up the mountains is unreal.

Of course, I pulled out my camera and started snapping photos. At this point, the camera is basically my entire personality. I took photos, filmed videos, and started recording the first clips for my vlog before making my way up the trail.

The hike isn’t anything intense - more of a short walk up an incline - but as I kept going, I was hit with the most beautiful golden hour light. I sat down for a moment and just listened. The quiet was almost unbelievable. I let myself soak it in before breaking the silence with a little more vlogging.

Eventually I reached the top, where the mountains and rolling hills seem to stretch on forever. I took a few more photos, then decided to run down a shortcut so I could sit on a nearby bench and watch the sun go down.

After a while, everyone else cleared out. I was alone - my favorite thing. I put in my AirPods, played my favorite playlist, and just watched the world exist. Time passed so quickly. Then I felt a chill on my cheek as the sun finally began to set. I remember standing up, nodding my head to the music, smiling to myself, and feeling so content - so grateful to be exactly where I was.

Once it got too cold to stand around in my skort, I headed back. I hopped the fence, got into my car, and drove down the mountainside with my music playing, feeling incredibly thankful to live somewhere so beautiful.

When I got home I downloaded all my footage and started putting together my vlogs. I share them in hopes that others can see how beautiful the world is - and maybe feel inspired to get out there and explore too.

If you ever want to check out my vlogs, you can find them on TikTok at @stephaniekauza, where I share real-time trail experiences, the quiet wonders of hiking and bits of my everyday life.

Coming Back to Myself.