“I kind of thought it would be boring,” sophomore Alexander Soto said.

“Why would I even want to hike?” junior Elsie Nelson-Walling recalled thinking. “I could just sit here at school and just wait it out.”

But after their first hikes — smelling pine trees, listening to birds chirping and discussing their lives — they realized hiking wasn’t so bad. In fact, they found it actually improved their moods.

The detention hikes on trails near Morse High School in Bath, Maine, started in October 2024 and have continued this fall.

“People seem really different in a good way at the end,” Trundy told The Washington Post. “Kids have even expressed it to me. They’ve said, like, ‘That was really awesome, thank you.’ … Even if they’re not as vocal about it, I can tell that they’re in a better place.”

Amy McDonnell, a postdoctoral research fellow in cognitive neuroscience at the University of Utah, said spending time outdoors improves mental and physical health, decreases stress and enhances focus. Plus, making in-person friendships is a predictor of strong physical and mental health...READ MORE