Take a Hike!

Lisa and I went hiking in a city park on the north side of town in an area on the edge of the Texas Hill Country. The park, located on the side of a wooded hill, had several interconnecting trails with different degrees of steepness and difficulty from smooth pavement to steep rocky climbs. We stayed on the main trail that had a nice mix of both. The day was sunny and warm, but without the oppressive humidity we have had most of this summer. It was a great day for a hike, even though we both had too many things to do back at the house.

I brought my walking stick and we each carried a bottle of water. We left our lunch in a cooler back at the car for later. It felt good to start out on the wooded trails. Lisa and I used to hike at Starved Rock State Park back in Illinois before our move to Texas. We had been hoping to find another place to walk and hike in nature down here. As the trail grew steeper and rockier, we could catch glimpses of the surrounding hills through the trees. The scenery was just beautiful. We could hear birds calling in the trees overhead. The traffic noise from I-10 had faded into a strange peaceful quiet.

I do not think there is anything that can connect us to nature in such a primal way unless it is a walk along a deserted beach as ocean waves cash on shore with seagulls crying overhead. Being alone and immersed in nature allows us to shut out the noise and clatter of our modern world with its loud cell phone conversations and screaming children in strollers and replace it with the rustle of leaves and the sounds of bees.

At the end of our walk, Lisa and I found a picnic table in the shade and enjoyed our lunch. There was a cool breeze under the trees. We knew that we had finally found a place that could thankfully connect us to that peace and quiet only found in nature. So when life gets to be too much...go take a hike! We did.
FOOD for THOUGHT...