For one local woman, nature provided another path to wellness.

A lot of people find that hiking offers a good workout.

But for Malika White, a walk in the woods became something much bigger, a path toward healing.

After losing her job and battling serious health challenges, she found her footing outdoors.

What started as her personal wellness journey grew into a thriving community that connects black women to nature and each other.

Carolina Impact's Rochelle Metzger and videographer John Branscomb have the story.

(bright music) - [Rochelle] A walk in the woods turned into something much bigger.

- Everything that I went through this week, I'm leaving it here on the trails.

- [Rochelle] For Malika White, nature became a lifeline.

After spending 15 years in banking, she was unexpectedly laid off.

Around the same time, she was also dealing with health challenges.

(birds chirping) Looking for a way to heal, she returned to something that had always brought her peace: walking outside.

Soon, those walks turned into daily hikes.

Somewhere between the trees and the trail, she began finding herself.

- Every time I went out there, I just reconnected with who I was.

You know, in this moment of thinking that I lost everything.

You know, I'm reconnecting with the most important part of my life, myself.

- [Rochelle] That healing journey eventually led to a new purpose.

She created a Facebook group for women who loved the outdoors, but didn't want to go alone.

- I just started getting all these requests to join.

The numbers kept increasing.

And what's your name?

- Benita.

- Benita, nice to meet you.

(group chattering) No bears, I don't think so.

- [Rochelle] Today, Black Girls Do Hike hosts regular hikes across the Charlotte region.

Building a community rooted in wellness, connection and representation.

- I didn't realize how much this space was needed for black women.

- [Rochelle] For hikers like Miriama Bah, the community was easy to find.

- I found a video on YouTube of them doing a hike.

I said, "Oh, that looks pretty cool."

And then I found them on Instagram.

And saw that they were going to be doing this hike.

So I signed up, and here I am.

- [Rochelle] And the benefits go far beyond exercise.

The Japanese practice known as shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, encourages people to slow down and immerse themselves in the sights, sounds and smells of nature.

A 2026 Harvard Health article on the benefits of forest bathing found that engaging all your senses while spending time outside can reduce stress and lower blood pressure and heart rates.

- This is where your beautiful oxygen comes from.

This is where your nervous system settles down.

This is where you breathe more easily.

- [Rochelle] Angie Stegal is a certified forest therapy guide.

- We can come out here and we eliminate all the input that can really stimulate our obsessive thinking.

That allows us to just become present to what is.

And that alone is an incredibly healing action.

- [Rochelle] Stegal says the natural environment provides numerous health benefits, citing a 2026 study by North Carolina State University.

Researchers found that participants exposed to forests and birdsong reported lower stress, fewer negative emotions and greater feelings of well-being than those in urban environments.

(group chattering) - I think women need the bonding, the conversation, the dialogue, the connection.

I think it's almost cathartic and therapeutic for us.

- [Rochelle] That sense of community is what keeps many of these women coming back.

- At that time, I was first diagnosed with breast cancer.

And I felt by myself.

And I needed to build a community.

And I found a wonderful community with this group to help me through that.

There are women out there that want to hike.

They just don't want to do it by themselves.

- [Rochelle] For college student Denaijah Daniel, the group also challenges stereotypes.

- I don't see a lot of people that look like me going out in nature and really reconnecting.

- [Rochelle] And that's exactly why Malika White started it.

To create a space where women of color feel seen, safe, and welcome in the outdoors.

- When they show up, we're complete strangers.

When our boots start moving, it changes.

It changes completely.

By the end of the hike, we are like we've known each other forever.

Do not let fear stop you from being who you were meant to be.

- [Rochelle] From a season of loss to a movement of healing, one step, one trail, and one new friendship at a time.

For Carolina Impact, I'm Rochelle Metzger.