🥾🌲 November 17 – Take a Hike Day: Because Running Away from Responsibilities is Healthier with Trail Mix🌄🍫
Look, some holidays are about deep reflection. Some are about family. This one? It's about strapping on some boots and literally walking away from your problems—ideally into the woods, with snacks. November 17 is Take a Hike Day, and no, it’s not an insult today—it’s an invitation. A nature-infused, leg-burning, leaf-crunching celebration of the great outdoors.
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🌟 So, What’s the Origin Story?
Take a Hike Day has murky origins, but it's likely rooted in the long-standing love affair Americans have with their national parks and hiking trails. The holiday aligns with the late-fall season in much of the U.S., which means fewer crowds, fewer bugs, and way more dramatic leaf content for your Instagram. 🍁📸
It’s also thought to raise awareness of the many hiking trails across the country—over 60,000 miles of them, just waiting for your questionable sense of direction and your waterproof shoes to show up.
🧭 Quirky Facts to Trek Into Conversation
🐾 The Appalachian Trail is over 2,190 miles long. That’s a long way to walk just to "clear your head."
🐻 Bears are more afraid of you than you are of them. Unless you forgot your granola bars—then they’re just disappointed.
👣 The average hiker burns 430–480 calories per hour. So yes, you do deserve that post-hike hot cocoa with whipped cream AND sprinkles.
💬 "Take a hike" was first used as slang in the 1950s, meaning “go away.” Today, it means “go play in the dirt and feel joy.”
🎒10+ Delightfully Offbeat Ways to Celebrate Take a Hike Day
Do an actual hike. Yes, outside. Yes, with your legs. Even a neighborhood trail counts—bonus points if there's a hill and you curse halfway up it.
Create a DIY indoor hike by turning your house into a "trail." Stairs = mountain. Living room = meadow. Cat = local wildlife.
Hike in a costume. Because why shouldn’t you be a hiking banana or a trailblazing dinosaur? 🦖
Go on a “snack hike.” Pack a backpack with tiny versions of your favorite treats. Hike 10 minutes, reward yourself. Repeat.
Turn on a nature documentary and walk in place. Mentally hike through Patagonia while physically standing in your living room.
Craft your dream hiking stick. Add ribbons, feathers, glitter, googly eyes—whatever your woodsy soul desires.
Write a haiku about your hike. Even if it’s just a walk to the fridge. Bonus points for nature metaphors and snack-based epiphanies.
Make “trail mix” from whatever’s in your pantry. Goldfish crackers, mini marshmallows, popcorn, and…hot Cheetos? YOLO.
Create a nature-themed playlist. Start with “Take a Hike” by Moon Hooch and go wild from there. 🌿🎶
Build a backyard trail. Use sticks, leaves, rocks, and that questionable garden gnome to make a 10-step “epic adventure.”
Send your friend a passive-aggressive “Take a Hike Day” card. But make it cute. Add a llama or something. 🦙
Try forest bathing. No soap required. Just sit quietly in nature and absorb its vibes. (Yes, it's a real thing. Yes, it's delightfully weird.)
🍂 Dinner Theme: Rustic Trail Feast — Fuel Up Like a Forager (Who Owns a Cast Iron Skillet)
Celebrate the great outdoors from the comfort of your kitchen, or pack it up and actually take a hike, you overachiever. Either way, today’s menu is all about hearty, trail-inspired eats that balance comfort with a hint of wild.
🥘 Entrée: Campfire Veggie & Sausage Skillet
(Because nothing says "I'm outdoorsy" like charred bits in a cast iron)
Ingredients:
12 oz smoked sausage (sliced; kielbasa, andouille, or plant-based)
2 tbsp olive oil or butter
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 zucchini, chopped
1 small red onion, sliced
1 cup mushrooms, halved
2 cups baby potatoes, halved
2 cloves garlic, minced
Fresh thyme or rosemary (bonus points if foraged, but maybe… don’t)
Salt & pepper
Instructions:
Boil the potatoes until just tender. Drain and set aside.
Heat oil in a cast iron pan. Sauté sausage until browned.
Add the veggies, potatoes, and garlic. Sear until everything is golden and just a little crispy.
Season with herbs, salt, and pepper. Serve sizzling hot with a side of smugness.
🥒 Side: Trail Mix Slaw
(Crunchy. Colorful. Totally counts as salad.)
Ingredients:
2 cups shredded cabbage (mix of red and green)
1 large carrot, shredded
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup roasted sunflower seeds or chopped almonds
1/4 cup raisins or chopped dates
Optional: Crushed granola bar on top (no, really—it slaps)
Dressing:
2 tbsp plain Greek yogurt or mayo
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp honey or maple syrup
Salt & pepper to taste
Toss it all together in a bowl and let it chill for 10 minutes. Surprisingly addictive and very "I eat things I find in the forest, but make it chic."
🍹 Drink: Apple Cider Spritz
(Hydration, but make it bubbly and seasonal)
Ingredients:
1 cup apple cider
1/2 cup sparkling water or ginger beer
Splash of lemon juice
Cinnamon stick or apple slice for garnish
Optional: 1.5 oz bourbon or spiced rum (for the adults who hike emotionally)
Mix and serve over ice. Garnish like you're the star of a Hallmark fall movie.
🍪 Dessert: No-Bake Trail Bar Bites
(Part dessert, part backpack snack. All delicious.)
Ingredients:
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup peanut butter or almond butter
1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped nuts or seeds
1/4 cup dried fruit (cranberries, cherries, goji berries, etc.)
Pinch of salt
Mix everything together. Roll into balls or press into a pan and cut into bars. Refrigerate until firm. Sneak one before the hike. Then another. Then forget the hike and just eat five.
🕯 Bonus Vibe: Lay a plaid blanket on the floor, queue up some forest ambience, and wear your hiking boots indoors for the aesthetic. Or go outside. But bring snacks. Always snacks.
🧭 Elementary: “Map It Out!” – Design Your Own Hiking Trail Adventure
Objective: Students will use creativity, geography, sequencing, and writing skills to design their own hiking trail, complete with imaginative landmarks, terrain features, and story-based obstacles.
🥾 The Hike Plan:
1. Set the Scene (5 mins):
Begin with a quick discussion:
👉 “If you could go on a hike anywhere—real or imaginary—where would it be?”
Show a few photos of diverse hiking spots (deserts, forests, waterfalls, volcanoes, etc.) to spark inspiration.
2. Trail Design Time (25–30 mins):
Give each student a “Build-a-Trail” worksheet or blank paper to draw their own hiking trail from a bird’s eye view. Along the way, they must include:
5+ landmarks (e.g., Troll Bridge, Singing Stream, Rainbow Ravine)
1 obstacle (e.g., rockslide, bear nap zone, enchanted fog)
1 reward (e.g., secret treasure, mountaintop view, picnic portal)
3. Writing Component (15–20 mins):
Have students write a short “Hiker’s Guide” that describes:
What a hiker will see
Any challenges they’ll face
What special gear they’ll need (flares? fairy wings?)
Why it's worth hiking
4. Hiker’s Gallery Walk (10 mins):
Hang the maps up and let students do a “trail tour” with sticky notes to leave kind comments or questions.
🧰 Materials:
Printable worksheet or plain paper
Colored pencils/markers
Optional: Trail-themed music or nature sounds 🎶
Sticky notes for the gallery walk
💡 Quirky Twist:
Encourage students to add magical or silly elements—like a forest where squirrels are GPS guides or a river that turns you into a frog for 10 minutes. 🌲🧚♂️
🧗♀️ Secondary: “Take a Hike: Literary Escape Routes”
Objective: Students will use character analysis and creative thinking to design a “hiking escape plan” for a character from a story, novel, or historical event.
🎒 The Hike Challenge:
1. Hook It Up (5–10 mins):
Pose this challenge:
"Your character needs to escape their current situation. They have one backpack, a trail map, and grit. Where are they going—and how do they survive?"
2. Partner or Solo Planning (25–30 mins):
Students choose (or you assign) a literary or historical figure and create a “Hiking Survival Escape Plan.” Their plan must include:
Trail Map: (imagined or real—Google Maps works!)
Gear List: What 5 items do they pack, and why?
Obstacles: What challenges do they face? (e.g., weather, enemies, internal conflict)
Trail Journal Entry: A one-page creative write-up from the character’s POV halfway through the hike.
3. Share + Reflect (10–15 mins):
Small group share-outs or a “Survivor’s Council” where characters plead their case for best hiking strategy.
📚 Example Characters:
Odysseus (obviously would overpack)
Katniss Everdeen
Frederick Douglass
Macbeth (does he make it out alive? Spoiler alert: probably not.)
Jonas from The Giver
Anne Frank
AOC during her early organizing days
You could also connect this with current events or civics.
🧰 Materials:
Character source material
Paper, optional laptops for digital trail maps
Markers for visuals
Backpack image printable for item listing
💡 Quirky Twist:
For every obstacle a student’s character faces, they must draw an actual rock and name it something dramatic. (“This is the Boulder of Betrayal.”) Bonus points for melodrama. 🪨😱
🥾 Quirky in the Workplace
A.K.A. “Sometimes you need to step outside... and dramatically exit a Zoom meeting to do it.”
Sure, Take a Hike Day sounds like passive-aggressive advice from your over-it coworker. But it’s actually about walking—ideally somewhere with fresh air, foliage, and minimal Wi-Fi signal. So whether you're trapped in cubicle land or living that remote life, today’s your chance to embrace the great outdoors (or the office parking lot...baby steps).
“Choose Your Own Adventure: Office Trail Edition”
Turn your workplace into a makeshift hiking trail by creating a floor map with absurd “trail markers” and “landmarks” labeled along the way.
Examples:
The Waterfall (a suspicious drip in the ceiling tile)
Bear Cave (Janet’s office... she is grumpy before coffee)
Snake Pit (the printer area—self-explanatory)
Summit View (aka the top floor, where the bosses dwell and the Wi-Fi gets weird)
Employees get a “trail guide” and are challenged to hike the loop—collecting silly stamps or selfies at each “landmark.”
Bonus points for wearing hiking gear like camelbacks, trekking poles, or socks aggressively pulled over dress pants.
Winner gets: a granola bar, bragging rights, and a decorative “I Survived the Office Wilderness” badge made from a Post-it and misplaced paperclip.
Tagline of the Day:
“Take a Hike Day: Because sometimes, ‘off-site meeting’ is just code for walking away with purpose.”
🎬 Movie Pick: Wild (2014)
Why it works:
Based on Cheryl Strayed’s memoir, Wild follows a woman who—after a series of personal tragedies—decides to hike the Pacific Crest Trail solo. It’s raw, powerful, and showcases hiking as both punishment and healing. Bonus points for rugged landscapes and Reese Witherspoon's Oscar-nominated performance that will make you rethink every Target trip you ever thought was "a journey."
📺 TV Episode Pick: Parks and Recreation – S2, E10: “Hunting Trip”
Why it works:
Leslie Knope heads into the wilderness with the guys for a department hunting trip (because why wouldn’t you mix government employees and firearms in the woods?). While not a traditional “hike,” this episode hilariously unpacks gender dynamics, bonding in nature, and what happens when city folk fake being outdoorsy.
📸 Final Step: Hike It, Then Like It
Don’t forget to document your journey! Whether it’s a full-on mountain summit or just you walking to the mailbox in hiking boots and calling it a victory, share it with the world. Nature AND validation? Yes, please.
🏷️ Hashtags for Your Trail Tales
#TakeAHikeDay
#NatureNerd
#TrailMixAndChill
#GetOutside
#HikingHumor
#BootsWithTheViews
#SnackPoweredTreks
#WanderFarSnackOften
#ForestMood
#LeafItAllBehind
