Taking their cues from Henry David Thoreau's trascendentalist classic book Walden, a group of North Carolina teenagers has made a ritual of escaping into nature to reflect on their lives and the world around them.
Five hundred feet above Linville Gorge in the North Carolina mountains, this group of teenagers has spent leisurely summer days taking in the view and pondering some of life's big questions, reports WRAL News in their segment "North Carolina Nooks & Crannies."
"You see the clouds, you see the sky, you see the opens mountains" student Haley Dabek tells WRAL. "It's like the perfect moment for the say."
"I'm here because I feel like the best way to appreciate life is to get away from it," Truitt tells WRAL.
And he might be on to something. The natural high of getting out under the open sky and away from civilization has stress-reducing effects and may combat depression, studies suggest. In addition to the mental benefits and sense of peace that come with spending time in nature, University of Michigan researchers found that spending time in nature can actually boost memory and attention span. Some studies have suggested that exposure to plants can boost immunity and lower blood pressure.
"It's very humbling," says teen thinker Truitt Urbanic. "I feel very humbled and reminded that I'm a speck on a speck on a speck on an infinite black plane."
Do you ever go into nature to reflect and recharge? Do you think it helps to regain perspective? Tell us in the comments below or tweet @HuffPostTeen!