A Little Less Hiking, a Lot More Life
I haven’t been hiking nearly as much as I’d like lately, and it’s not for lack of wanting to go. It’s mostly been a matter of scheduling conflicts, responsibilities, and trying to fit everything into days that don’t seem particularly inclined to get any longer. Every time I think I might have an opportunity to head out for a proper hike, something else needs my attention, or the timing simply doesn’t work out.
It’s a little frustrating because being out on the trails is one of my favorite ways to spend time. I enjoy finding somewhere to wander for a few hours, exploring places I haven’t been before, and occasionally taking a trail I’ve walked a dozen times just to see what’s changed. I don’t particularly need an elaborate destination or a spectacular view, although I’m certainly not going to complain about either one. I just like being out there.
But life has been full lately, and some of that fullness has been pretty wonderful.
There’s a Wedding Happening!
My son is getting married!
It’s one of those things that feels both completely natural and a little hard to believe. Somehow we’ve arrived at the point where I’m getting ready to attend my son’s wedding, and I’m genuinely excited about it. There’s something pretty special about watching your children build lives of their own, find their people, and begin new chapters that you get to witness rather than direct.
We’ll be traveling for the wedding, which means a few days away from the usual routines, work, and everything else that fills my calendar. I’ll have my computer with me because apparently I don’t know how to travel without bringing at least a little work along, but I have no intention of spending the weekend glued to it. There are some occasions that deserve my full attention, and this is absolutely one of them.
I’m looking forward to celebrating, spending time with family, and enjoying all the little moments that come with a wedding. I’m also fairly certain I’ll take far too many photographs, although for once they might feature more people than mushrooms.
No promises, though.
The Woods Are Still Calling
In the meantime, I haven’t completely abandoned my time outdoors. I’ve just had to adjust what that looks like.
Instead of trying to squeeze a longer hike into an already crowded schedule, I’ve been taking the dogs to a nearby trail where we can spend some time wandering through the woods without making an entire outing of it. There’s no lengthy drive, no complicated planning, and no need to rearrange half my day to make it happen. We can head out, explore for a while, and still get back in time for whatever else needs to be done.
And the dogs certainly don’t seem concerned that we aren’t tackling some grand hiking adventure.
As far as they’re concerned, there are smells to investigate, leaves to shuffle through, and approximately a thousand important things happening just beyond the edge of the trail. They approach every outing with the enthusiasm of creatures who have apparently never encountered a stick before, despite having seen several million.
I spend a good deal of time waiting while they investigate things I can’t see, and they spend a good deal of time waiting while I photograph things they couldn’t care less about.
It’s a fairly balanced arrangement.
Familiar Trails, Different Discoveries
One of the things I’ve always enjoyed about walking in the woods is how much changes even when you’re visiting the same place regularly. A familiar trail doesn’t necessarily mean a familiar experience, especially this time of year when the landscape seems to rearrange itself every few days.
The leaves are changing, the forest floor is collecting the evidence, and the trees are gradually revealing branches that have been hidden beneath all that summer foliage. There are new textures, colors, and little details to notice, even when the route itself hasn’t changed.
I’ve never been particularly good at walking through the woods without stopping to look at something. A patch of moss, an interesting mushroom, an oddly shaped leaf, or a bit of light filtering through the trees can easily interrupt whatever pace I thought I was keeping. This probably explains why my walks take longer than the distance would suggest.
Of course, having dogs who insist on conducting a thorough investigation of every interesting scent doesn’t exactly improve our average speed.
But I enjoy these outings. They’re familiar enough that I don’t have to think much about where I’m going, yet there’s always the possibility of finding something I haven’t noticed before. And when my schedule is packed, having that kind of place nearby is incredibly convenient.
Making Room for What’s Happening Right Now
I have a tendency to come up with more things I want to do than I can reasonably fit into a week. Between creating artwork, building Wild Ridge Studio and Wild Ridge Learning, writing, managing everyday responsibilities, and trying to get outside, there’s rarely a shortage of things competing for my attention. Lately, I’ve had to be a little more realistic about what fits.
That doesn’t mean I’ve lost interest in longer hikes or exploring new places. I still have trails I want to visit, places I want to photograph, and plenty of outdoor adventures on my mental list. I’m just not getting to them quite as often right now, and that’s where things stand.
Besides, preparing to celebrate my son’s wedding is a pretty wonderful reason to have a few other things temporarily take a back seat.
The longer hikes will still be there when the calendar opens up again. For now, the nearby woods are doing a perfectly good job of providing fresh air, interesting things to look at, and enough opportunities for the dogs to get thoroughly distracted.
And really, that’s not a bad way to spend an afternoon.
A Few Good Things Happening at Once
As October comes to an end, I’m looking forward to the wedding, continuing to work on my creative projects, and finding whatever opportunities I can to get outdoors. There are new things happening with Wild Ridge Studio and Wild Ridge Learning, plenty of artwork waiting for my attention, and a whole collection of ideas I’m hoping to bring to life over the coming months.
It’s a busy season, but there’s a lot to look forward to.
I do miss those longer stretches of time on the trails, when I can head out without watching the clock or thinking about what I need to do when I get home. I’m sure I’ll get back to more of those adventures soon enough.
Until then, I’ll be wandering through the nearby woods with the dogs, collecting more photographs than I need, and getting ready to watch my son get married.
That’s a pretty good October, if you ask me.
