SUMMIT COUNTY, Colo. — For many veterans, physical obstacles are something they take head-on with pride, but it's the silent obstacles that can be the hardest to overcome.

Austin Breuninger is the reason a group of veterans gathered together on a Friday morning at a Colorado trailhead. He started High Country Veterans Adventures after experiencing the tragedy of losing friends to suicide.

"We like to surround ourselves with other veterans so we can have that kind of instant rapport. We can share things with ourselves that we may not feel comfortable sharing with other people," he said.

Studies have shown that the more time people diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder spend in the outdoors, the more they see a reduction in their PTSD symptoms.

A recent study by Penn State shows that now 50% of people in America participate in outdoor activities a 20% increase from pre-pandemic times. While this means more people are getting more mental health benefits, crowded parks and expensive equipment can mean more barriers for people like veterans or others with PTSD exist.

"We've essentially removed the obstacles that prevent a veteran from coming out and enjoying these events," said Breuninger.

His group moves some of those barriers by lending equipment and providing avalanche training, so veterans can access the pure wilderness of America's backcountry safely.

Veteran Zach Whitmore found the group serendipitously a few years ago and says the ability to get outside with few barriers has been life-changing.

"I can't picture my life in any other way other than being in the mountains and being out in the wild with my friends," said Whitmore.

Connection through nature may be harder to find these days, but these veterans say through proper knowledge and finding a group to show you the way, the outdoors can remain to be one of the greatest healers available.

"At the end of the day, we just want everybody to get up the mountain, finish the objective and get down safely and it brings us together," he said.

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Protesters dressed in salon gear took to the street outside House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco home Thursday.

In video of the protest, some demonstrators are seen with curlers in their hair, plastic is draped over them and hair dryers hang from trees.

The rally came two days after video of Pelosi getting her hair cut inside a California salon surfaced.

California Governor Gavin Newsom lifted restrictions on hair salons serving customers indoors at the end of last month. However, the city of San Francisco still requires such services to only be provided outside.

Pelosi says the salon told her it would be OK to come inside, because they are only accommodating one person at a time.

She also claims the whole thing was a set-up, since the video was released to the media by the salon's owner, KGO reports.

A photo of Pelosi on the same visit shows her wearing a mask around her neck instead of on her face. She says that's because she had just had her hair washed.