Scott Hall, professor of clinical mental health counseling at UD’s School of Education and Health Sciences, spent his sabbatical hiking the 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail to explore how nature can serve as a classroom for healing. Hall’s interest in ecotherapy led him to help establish an ecotherapy certificate within UD’s graduate clinical mental health counseling program in 2017. After 30 years of teaching, he chose to put his teachings into practice by undertaking a five-month hike to examine the relationship between nature, physical challenge, and mental health. “I wanted to live the experience of ecotherapy, not just talk about it or teach it,” Hall said. Over fourteen states and an estimated 5 million steps, Hall observed that many hikers practiced ecotherapy through adapting to the long-trail experience, often without knowing the science behind it.