McGill’s primo location in downtown Montreal just below Mount Royal means getting out into nature is just a hop, skip and a jump away.
OK, it’s more like a breathless climb up McTavish Street, followed by 300+ stairs, but the effort is well worth it for students who make the trek to the Mount Royal lookout with dazzling views of the cityscape and St. Lawrence River.
Throughout the academic year, McGill’s Student Wellness Hub stages Mount Royal Wellness Walks in partnership with Athletics and Recreation. It’s just one of the many services and activities the Hub offers to support students’ physical and mental health.
Every week in the fall semester and bi-weekly in winter, participants gather at the Roddick Gates for the noontime walk up the mountain.
Kiki Yelle, the Student Wellness Hub’s Local Wellness Advisor (LWA) for Athletics and Recreation, leads the activity, accompanied by colleague Virginie Yeba, the LWA for students in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences who are pursuing professional programs such as nursing, physical or occupational therapy and speech-language pathology.
“Being able to immerse yourself in nature in the middle of this busy city is a big privilege of being at McGill,” Yelle says, of the University’s proximity to the mountain.
Designed by famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, the 227-hectare Mount Royal Park is a treasured oasis in Montreal.
View of the Montreal skyline from the Mount Royal lookout in early February.
On a crisp day in early February, Yelle and Yeba walked with a small group to the lookout.
“Oh, it’s beautiful, look at the view,” said Dani Lewis, a second-year psychology student who works in the Student Wellness Hub as a Hub Peer Supporter, as we briefly turned onto the meandering snow-covered path.
Students get to choose which route the group takes: the slower, easier path or the more direct steep steps up to the lookout. Either way, Yelle says the pace is pretty slow since it’s meant to be a leisurely walk.
Paul Grimouille Burdiat, an exchange student from France, took part in the activity for the first time, looking to “socialize a bit, discover Montreal in a new way and also just to get up and move.”
What are the potential mental health benefits for students from these walks?
“It forces them to stop because a lot of the time – I can only speak for the students I work with – they’re running, running, running. And sometimes it’s just ‘stop, breathe, be in nature, take in your surroundings,’” Yeba says. “They’re more relaxed and they also get to connect with other students.”
“We know exercise or just moving your body in nature is very good for your mental health,” says Yelle. “It helps if you’re experiencing anxiety or depression symptoms.” And it also helps with focus.
Some of the meetups have themes, like one held for international students last fall or an outing next month for graduate students. Turnout varies; a walk in September can attract 25 students, when people are eager to meet peers and discover the campus.
The mountain looks especially stunning in fall, covered in vibrant red, orange and yellow – and excitement runs high among students, some of whom haven’t experienced such foliage before. “They just find it so beautiful,” Yeba says.
Students sometimes inquire about their positions as Local Wellness Advisors, trained mental health clinicians who are embedded within faculties and services to connect McGill students with the appropriate support resource.
“We explain our role and tell them: ‘Did you know you have an LWA in your faculty?’” Yeba says.
When they reach the lookout, she and Yelle dispense snacks, hot chocolate and Earl Grey tea to students who soak up the panoramic view and take photos.
“It’s great. It really works your cardio,” says Grimouille Burdiat, who is studying for a graduate certificate in marketing at the School of Continuing Studies. “The view from the top – seeing the whole city – is really beautiful.”