I’ve recently somehow fallen into “EverestTok,” which profiles some of the people braving some of the most extreme conditions on Earth in an attempt to summit Mount Everest. That eventually transitioned into a much less extreme version that I’ll call “HikingTok.”

About a month ago, my algorithm served me something in between the two. It was a daily hiking vlog from someone attempting to hike the Continental Divide Trail and the Great Divide Trail combined (both sites are on WordPress!), something that has only ever been accomplished twice. Together they total around 3,700 miles from the southernmost Mexico/US border in New Mexico to Kakwa Provincial Park in British Columbia, Canada.

“Day 114,” the vlog began. On that day, she celebrated her birthday with Oreos at the US-Canada border, officially completing the Continental Divide Trail. Then, without hesitation, she pressed north into Canada, racing the first snow to finish the Great Divide Trail.

I was hooked. Thankfully, the video was already several days (maybe weeks) old. I was able to binge many more days of her journey before running out of content. That transitioned into working backwards and watching some of the older vlogs from the journey through New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. Checking for new vlogs became a part of my nightly routine.

Yesterday marked day 153 and the end of the journey. Jessica “stitches” Guo added her name to the very short list of people that hiked the CDT & GDT combined. She reached the terminus on day 152, but camped until the next day to meet her parents at an old logging road to head home. I followed along on TikTok, but you can also find her vlog on Instagram, or her blog on Trek (also WordPress).

I found inspiration not only in her journey, but also in her self-reflections along the way. Being alone with nature while challenging yourself can provide so much insight.

If you’re watching this, I hope that you get outside in any way that makes sense to you. And if there’s something out there that calls to you, I hope you listen.

Jessica Guo

Too often we forget about how beautiful this world is. It’s far too large for any one person to see it all. But when someone embarks on a journey like this and documents it for everyone, others can live vicariously through their experience.

I feel the same way about the BBC’s Planet Earth franchise. It’s one of my favorite series of all time. We all get to experience natural phenomenons that in some cases had never been witnessed before by humans. All because a cameraman sat in a tree waiting for weeks on end for one specific animal to appear and exhibit a certain behavior.

Whether it’s through a TikTok hiking vlog or a big budget television series, these glimpses into nature in a way democratize experiences that few could ever have firsthand. And for that, I’m deeply grateful. What a wonderful time to be alive.

Featured image credit: CC0 licensed photo by annezazu from the WordPress Photo Directory.