What Hiking Samaria Gorge Taught 20 College Students (and Me) About Doing Hard Things, Together

As part of a study abroad course on stress and happiness, we set out to hike Crete’s Samaria Gorge—ten rocky miles with twenty students, most of whom had never hiked before. None of us were fully prepared for how challenging it would be—or how powerful. What began as a physical test became a lesson in resilience, connection, and presence—one that taught us more than any classroom ever could.