“This high started to give everything I was doing a new and deeper meaning.”

The full onset came on around the half-hour mark. I’d consumed two gummies and was in the middle of doing laundry when I felt a sudden lightness wash over me. I marveled at the dryer sheets and really felt like I was not only drying my clothes, but maybe also dry cleaning all of my negative emotions. Like I was in essence taking everything that stressed me out that morning and giving it all a good fluff and fold. (You’ll have to forgive my laundry-oriented analogies.) This high started to give everything I was doing a new and deeper meaning. It was an easygoing, curious and meditative sort of high rather than an energy-packed or anxious one. Think of this gummy as a marathon runner rather than a sprinter.

For the first leg of this marathon, I decided to go on a local hike and explore some trails with the wife. What better place to show off this euphoric high than a walk amongst the brambles and open sky. When we arrived at the nature reserve, we spotted a large contingent of Gen Z’ers taking up the main path leading to a popular waterfall. I suggested we take a more out-of-the-way trail leading to some caves. At least I hoped they ended up at some caves. My memory was a bit hazy from the edible.

It was nice to get outside and allow this gummy to help me melt into my surroundings and feel a sense of much needed peace. We hardly met a soul during our hike, which added a nice layer of solitude to the experience. Most everything from the gravel path to the dried cactus leaves took on a new hue and vibrancy. As if I was looking at everything with a new pair of medicated chili-mango sunglasses. At no point did I encounter any rough waters or mental jitters. This was an even-keeled high that helped push me along like a wise old sherpa.

“It was nice to get outside and allow this gummy to help me melt into my surroundings.”

By the time we reached the caves (to be real they were more like a pair of alcoves) we’d gotten in a proper physical and mental workout. We took some obligatory pictures for The ‘Gram and found a nearby picnic table overlooking a scenic bluff. It could be said that I was both high in altitude as well as attitude.

Looking down over the valley floor, I felt as though I could take a leap in it as one would a pool after a long day of work. It was a reaction clearly triggered by my edible, and it was a desire to just embrace the entirety of my visual field. (Not so much a recreation of those old-school videos they would show you in high school about the straight-laced senior who smoked a roach and jumped off the new library annex thinking he was Superman.)

The combination of 20mgs of THC, the beautiful setting and my wife being a great sport was a singular sensation I wanted to share with everything I could see at that moment, which, like this high, was bountiful. Where a bold taste alluded me initially, at the end of the day the gummy gave rise to a deeper sense of appreciation and mindfulness. An effective edible for an outdoor adventure, whether it be solo, with a group of friends or a loved one.