Sometimes I just crave to be wild, I said. He nodded. That’s called being a rebel, he smiled. We were sitting—just the two of us—in the hollow glow of the classroom light, laptops propped open....

One of my many life goals is to hike the entire Appalachian Trail all at once. It will be difficult, but I know the outcome of hiking through the mountains will teach me more about my life and nature than...