I grew up in a family that did not believe in dirt. Or nature, really. My mom would go outside if there was a pool or a tennis court and my dad loved pretty much all sports, but golf courses and baseball fields are not exactly wild. It took me a while to figure out this hiking thing and I’m not an extreme hiker by any stretch of the imagination (one of the ground rules is that I am allowed to whine as much as I want.).
However, right now hiking is the blessing we all really need. We need to get off the pavement and into the trees. We need hills and dirt and expansive views and fresh air.
Of course, we need to go responsibly. At the moment, a lot of the trails at regional parks are open, even if the parking lots, bathrooms, picnic tables, and water fountains are not. We need to keep a safe distance from other humans, bring and use our face coverings, pack out our trash since cans are not available (and really, littering is never a Good Thing.).
The brilliant part is that it takes so little stuff. We need comfy shoes, water, sunscreen, possibly bug spray and/or a hat. I love to take photos, so sometimes I bring my big camera, but other times I stick with the phone camera.
What do we get out of it? Cardio, naturally. But also a little bit of magic. Some people call it forest bathing, but I’m not sure that goes far enough. I know that the quality of my thinking changes when I go visit trees, that my conversations are better and my imagination fired. Fitness is not just about getting tired. It’s also about getting rested.
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