Building a Healthier Future: SLO Hikes in Nature

California is a land of many natural wonders-groves of ancient redwoods perfectly compliment miles of sparkling coastline and rugged Yellowstone peaks.The Central Coast benefits from its own unique landmarks: rolling golden and green hills which stretch out as far as the eye can see, hosting native birds, flowers, and fruit.Kurt Schweigman, a Native American man who has also published as Luke Warm Water, has recently edited a collection of poems and writings from Californian Native Americans, some of which represent these hills and the nature they represent.A Chumash poem from this region, traditionally rendered in song, reads "In the Sky // I am walking // A Bird // I accompany" (Schweigman and Day).After a lifetime of travelling the globe and moving internationally every two to three years, I chose to settle down in San Luis Obispo for the next four years partly due to the unparalleled direct access to these hills we enjoy within walking distance from Cal Poly.Now more than a year into my SLO tenure, I have taken full advantage of the public access to surrounding peaks and hike at least once a week.Multiple physical and mental health improvements in my own life, including a lower resting heart rate and more energy through the day, have convinced me that the benefits of hiking far surpass the simple beauty of the view along the way.However, many of the paths currently open to hiking in the area immediately north of Cal Poly are difficult to access, too steep-or both.This creates a disincentive for students who may have limited time to hike in the first place and may completely exclude those who have joint problems and cannot endure long, steep hikes.With this letter, I endeavor to convince you and your department to open additional beginner-level paths on city land so that thousands of additional SLO residents can begin to reap the numerous mental and physical health benefits of hiking while simultaneously reconnecting with the heritage of the wonderous California hills.My personal obsession with hiking began soon after I could walk and has carried me directly to the heartland of California.When I moved to Podgorica, Montenegro at age ten, I found myself in a house near enough to the countryside to be surrounded by open land.As the long summer days dragged on, I dragged my younger brother on towards the summit of the hill behind our house.At the summit, we enjoyed the breeze and surveyed the land below.The view made it all worth it, and though I didn't realize it at the time, I would be seeking out views from peaks for the rest of my life.In Northern Ireland I completed Slieve Donard, in Maui I completed Pu'u Kukui, and in France I completed Mont Ventoux.When it was time to choose a college, I knew that I would have more time to be independent and thus more time to hike.Cal Poly SLO was a natural choice.Less than a week after moving in, I completed the famous "tri-tip" challenge (Bishop, Madonna, and