Shadowing Practice: Solo hiking to a glacier lake - Learn English Speaking with Video

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i'm really excited to do this hike

but also this is like my first really big hike

that i've done alone

because this hike can be up to eight hours depending on how long

it takes me you know i think it's going to be a fun experience

and i'm happy to take you guys along with me

because i'm just taking advantage of where I live where I live is really beautiful

and I'm like I want to explore and I want to see things so yeah

and why not take you all along with me to see these beautiful things eight hours me myself

and I alone in the mountains and so it begins

It's five kilometers, elevation gain, 1 ,200.

So it's pretty much uphill the entire way, which apparently it takes like three hours usually for people to get up.

Yeah, the incline is pretty steep.

I think it's just like there's some switchbacks for a while, and then there's a bit of a scramble near the end.

like the last two kilometers or something.

First kilometer done.

I think I'm gonna take a water break soon though.

Honestly, I mean I've only done one kilometer but I did think that this was gonna be a lot worse than it is.

But again, I've only done one kilometer

and there are still like 1200 meters of elevation

and like six kilometers to go so I don't want to sneak too soon.

Okay so thank god I don't have to go up that.

So I definitely spoke too soon.

And it looks like this is where the real hike begins.

Just straight up a bunch of routes.

We got it though.

It's honestly quite well marked through here, which is nice.

Because it is definitely a little bit hard to tell where to go.

There's some paths that divert you a little bit

so it's good they have a lot of markings everywhere so i'm like out of breath this is this is hard

we definitely spoke too soon definitely glad that it's nice

and shaded through here because

if i were to do this in the straight up sun this would be brutal i'm sweating so much right now

I'm sweating a lot, but feeling good.

I'm literally only at two and a half kilometers, still like 5k to go, or four and a half, but I'm feeling pretty good.

Honestly, if you guys have never listened to jazz and like cinematic kind of music while hiking, I definitely recommend.

That's what I'm doing right now, and I actually feel like I'm in a cinematic universe.

It's so beautiful and peaceful.

How many more adjectives for peaceful?

Use them all, all of them.

I'm sorry.

I think we're about a kilometer away from the lake, so that's exciting.

Now I think it's just like a scramble all the way up.

I'm not really sure.

I'm just following all the tags.

Okay, we gotta go up there.

This is a grind.

The last kilometer of the hike was definitely a grind to say the least.

It was straight uphill climbing up rocks and roots, but once I got to the top it was definitely a hundred percent worth it

Okay, I'm thinking of going over there to eat my lunch.

Why is this low -key perfect?

Guys, make sure you want more bath.

beautiful okay oh okay oh the only thing to know is

the bugs are swarming me as you could tell there was one

that literally just landed on my face um but otherwise this is 10 out of 10

I've never had a chicken and pickle sandwich

And I have to say it was pretty good

So I wanted to go swimming but it became overcast like as soon as I got here

So I was like you know what I might hold off on the swimming

Because I feel like it would be way too cold because it's like glacial water

So it's very very chilly and I feel like the only reason I would go in is if I'm like sweating

But yeah as soon as I got here it became pretty overcast so I don't really want to be cold going down.

So I'm not going to swim today, unfortunately, but it is so, so beautiful.

Okay, now we're on the way down.

Now it says it takes about two hours to go down, so it doesn't be too bad.

It's just really steep.

The only thing is my phone is on 26%, and I forgot my portable charger. So it's not great.

Luckily the trail is well marked though.

Now we gotta go down down i was actually really concerned initially before doing

this hike like i was gonna do it a couple weeks ago

and then i kind of chickened out because i thought it was too late

and i thought it was gonna take like a super long time

and it was mostly just like the elevation gain

that was like freaking me out i was like 1300 meters

and only like seven kilometers like that's crazy and it was definitely challenging

but it was kind of fun like I like the more technical trails because

you kind of really have to pay attention

and it's not just like you're walking straight for like hours

and hours like you're you're climbing and you're moving through rocks

and like all that kind of stuff so it is kind of cool

but yeah it was like definitely not as bad as I thought

it was going to be I thought it was going to be like really tough

and like impossible to do but it was definitely very challenging

and like you know it's pretty brutal like with the uphill especially

if it's warm and sunny but it's definitely manageable

and it's definitely doable

if you just take a lot of breaks bring a lot of water bring some good snacks

and the view is just like 1000 1000 worth it

because it's just absolutely incredible like that's one of the most beautiful hikes

that i've done in around this area and there's just

so many like beautiful trails nearby that i have to go

and explore but this was like a really great trail and

if you're in around the area like i would recommend like it's just so beautiful and honestly incredible

even though it's as i said a little bit brutal especially this part this part is definitely the worst

because you get to like kilometer five

and you're like oh my god i'm almost done and then and you're literally climbing up like an actual rock face.

I'm just taking a break right now.

It's very peaceful.

It's so pretty out here.

100

I fell in some mud, but I guess that's how you know you're really hiking.

101

I have no idea how much longer.

102

I think three kilometers.

103

it's nice and flat in here for a little bit and then we have another steep decline

104

and then we get to the switchbacks so it's about a kilometer

105

and a half if i'm not mistaken of pretty steep

106

and then it goes a little bit more flat and then we got the switchbacks

107

so yeah and then we made it to the switchbacks

108

so we only have like a kilometer or so left and then the hike is done

109

and we're done we did it everyone beautiful all right everyone hike was finished in six hours

110

six hours and 10 19 minutes or something like

111

that yes beautiful now we're back in my car my phone is three percent left to spare

112

you know future things to remember bring my portable charger bring bear spray probably should have brought those

113

but otherwise everything went well beautiful hike i would definitely do it again

114

that was it was hard but i also thought

115

that i i thought it was going to be a much harder than it was anyway

116

so that was really fun and i enjoyed it

117

and it was actually nice to do such a long hike by myself it was very peaceful

118

and tranquil and again all the adjectives for peaceful

119

and now i'm gonna go back i'm gonna have a shower get all the mud off of myself

120

and have some dinner have a nice little dinner i think

121

i'm going to do some sort of bowl of a kind

122

and that was my little hike i hope you all enjoyed the video thank you

123

so much for watching and i hope to see you in the next one bye

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “Solo hiking to a glacier lake”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: kilometer, definitely, hike, beautiful. This video has 123 sentences and 1435 words to shadow. The speech runs for 11:14. The speaker talks at a steady 128 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 83% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
hike noun	/haɪk/	A long walk, usually for pleasure or exercise.
trail noun	/tɹeɪl/	The track or indication marking the route followed by something that has passed, such as the footprints of animal on land or the contrail of an airplane in the…
steep adjective	/stiːp/	Of a near-vertical gradient; of a slope, surface, curve, etc. that proceeds upward or downward at an angle approaching vertical.
climb verb	/ˈklaɪ̯m/	To traverse a slope or contour, either upwards (ascending) or downwards (descending).
swim verb	/swɪm/	To move through the water, without touching the bottom; to propel oneself in water by natural means.
sweat verb	/swɛt/	To emit sweat.
brutal adjective	/ˈbɹuːtəl/	Savagely violent, vicious, ruthless, or cruel, often in an unintelligent manner.
elevation noun	/ˌɛlɪˈveɪʃn̩/	The act of raising from a lower place, condition, or quality to a higher; said of material things, persons, the mind, the voice, etc.
explore verb	/ɪkˈsploɹ/	To examine or investigate something systematically.
meter noun	/ˈmitəɹ/	A device that measures things.
portable adjective	/ˈpɔɹtəbəl/	Able to be carried or easily moved.
grind verb	/ˈɡɹaɪnd/	To reduce to smaller pieces by crushing with lateral motion.
charger noun	/ˈt͡ʃɑɹd͡ʒɚ/	A device that charges or recharges.
bath noun	/bɑːθ/	A tub or pool which is used for bathing: bathtub.
tag noun	/tæɡ/	A small label.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Meaning
go down verb	To descend; to move from a higher place to a lower one.
go up verb	To move upwards.
get up verb	To move in an upward direction; to ascend or climb.
go back verb	To return to a place or state after having been there at a previous time.
going over noun	An inspection, examination, review, or investigation.

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

I'm sweating a lot, but feeling good.
I'm just following all the tags.
I'm just taking a break right now.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	i've done · I've only done · have never listened
Comparatives -er than / more … than — comparing two things	worse than · harder than
Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group	the most beautiful · the worst
Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now	i'm just taking · i'm sweating · I'm doing

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 53 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, you're, gonna. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “th” sounds: bath /bɑːθ/, breathe /bɹiːð/
The “sh” and “zh” sounds: elevation /ˌɛlɪˈveɪʃn̩/, shade /ʃeɪd/
Long words — get the stress right: kilometre /kɪˈlɑmɪtəɹ/, kinematic /kɪn.əˈmæt.ɪk/, manageable /ˈmænəd͡ʒəb(ə)l/

How to practise with this video

Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like hike, trail, steep.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: Solo hiking to a glacier lake - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Sentences worth repeating

Grammar in this video

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?