My sister Elizabeth and I just returned from a wonderful guided hiking trip in Northumberland and the Lake District, in partnership with Wilderness England.

We hiked to various summits, we visited museums and gardens, we walked around cities and towns, we marveled at historic castles, we stood at Hadrian’s Wall, we took a ferry across a lake. So many terrific adventures.

Before we left, we read books to help us get in the spirit of our trip—books such as You Are Here, The Shepherd’s Life, and The Hollow Land.

If you want to hear live updates we recorded every day, you can listen here.

Also, along the way, we took notes of insights and hacks that we learned. If you want to hear us talk about these ideas, you can listen to episode 493 of the Happier with Gretchen Rubin podcast.

Insights we gained:

• Just a few days away from our usual routines is enough to feel like we’ve had a refreshing adventure
• Taking a vacation really does invigorate the mind and help us generate creative ideas
• When we articulate a dream, we’re more likely to spot a way to achieve that dream
• “Loose ties” are very valuable, because those people bring us new information
• The quiz for the Four Tendencies personality framework is a fun icebreaker

Hacks we learned (sometimes the hard way):

• Wear a bandana; they come in handy in many ways
• Hit the down-volume button on your phone to take a photo
• Wear layers
• Check your pockets every night as you put away your layers
• If you love a giant cup of coffee or tea, pack a travel mug
• Really make sure your hiking boots fit
• To prevent blisters, try Body Glide Foot Glide and KT Blister Prevention Tape
• To prevent blisters or chafing, try Neat 3 B Body Saver anti-chafe and sweat rash cream
• Follow the recommended-gear list
• Take photos of place names, restaurants, hotels, or shops, if you think you might forget
• Don’t get careless as you near the end of a hike; that’s when people get hurt
• Pack a travel laundry packet so you can wash items overnight
• Remember that YouTube is a terrific resource for information; I was very happy I’d watched video about how to lace on hiking boots
• When you’re packing a day pack, don’t pack up the night before, because in the morning, you won’t be sure if you put in X or Y. Instead, the night before, lay out everything next to the pack, and in the morning, pack them in

Five-senses portrait of our trip:

To help us remember all our experiences during our sisterly adventure, on our last evening together, we created a five-senses portrait:

Seeing

1. Hadrian’s Wall—something Gretchen has wanted to see ever since reading The Eagle of the Ninth and Memoirs of Hadrian
2. Dangerous plants growing in cages in the Poison Garden by the Alnwick Castle
3. Fields of purple heather growing on hilltops
4. The shadows of clouds passing over Buttermere Lake
5. Our guide Jeremy running up the stairs carrying both our heavy suitcases at once.
   
   

Hearing

1. The baaaaaa of sheep
2. Typhoon fighter jets roaring overhead as they practiced maneuvers
3. The scrunching of rain pants and rain jackets
4. Our guide Jeremy’s New Zealand accent as he told us about the historical sites we visited
5. The sloshing of water in our water bottles in our daypacks

Smelling

1. Fresh cool morning air
2. Various sunscreens as people applied more after a few hours of hiking
3. Morning coffee and tea
4. The distinct smell of the Euston train station in London
5. The sharp smell of vinegar on fish and chips 

Tasting

1. Elizabeth’s fish and chips and scone—two foods she vowed to eat on the trip
2. Very sweet, minty taste of Kendal’s Mint Cake on the summit of Cat Bells
3. Sticky toffee pudding—absolutely delicious
4. Perfect lattes in a roadside cafe as we approached the Lake District
5. The Salted Caramel Rum Liqueur that we drank to toast the end of our last day together—we each took one shot
   
   

Touching

1. Springy moss covering rocks and stone walls
2. Weight of hiking boots and unaccustomed tightness around the ankles
3. The light, carefree feeling of changing from hiking boots into running shoes
4. Velvety lamb’s ear leaf in the walled garden near Lindisfarne Castle (one of Gretchen’s favorite textures)
5. The pressure of the brim of a sunhat against the forehead and the strap under the chin 

Here’s the quotation we mention:

The fleeting hour of life of those who love the hills is quickly spent, but the hills are eternal. Always there will be the lonely ridge, the dancing beck, the silent forest; always there will be the exhilaration of the summits. These are for the seeking, and those who seek and find while there is still time will be blessed both in mind and body. —Alfred Wainwright,  A Pictorial Guide To The Lakeland Fells: The Western Fells