During this 2020 pandemic, have you discovered the fun of walking in the woods yet?

I discovered the fun of walking in the woods probably when I was about 3 years old, and didn’t forget it. I prefer forests and wilderness to human environments, for the most part, and love exploring both on foot.

In the woods, I like the absence of human craziness, and to observe all the different types of life, and how the ground is, and exploring trails and discovering places. Each natural place is unique and has different things going on. The more you slow down and take notice, the more you can discover.

No, the woods are full of leshen.

I have always spent much of my free time hiking and walking in the woods. The pandemic, however, has ended up reducing my time in the woods due to increased crowds. Most of my favorite local hikes had previously been lonely (in a good sense) walks with my dog off leash. Now parking is challenging, and my dog has to be on-leash due to the many people on the trails.

I still go out, but I usually have to go to a few places to find the least crowded place. And my poor dog is almost always on a leash.

I’ve known it for a long time. I regularly hike in regional parks or on nearby trails. When I visit the mountains I like to go on hikes or spend a few hours on my mountain bike. Being able to go out in nature keeps me sane.

Ironically a number of regional parks around here are closing because of the pandemic. This everyone can be inside and spread disease to each other. Lol

I’ve always enjoyed forest and country walks. I also love walking by the ocean which is only about a mile from me.

I lost my ability to go out walking in the woods back in 1990, so I’ve learned to improvise. During these crazy days, I’m content to walkout my front door to sit in the sun. It’s supposed to be good at fightig off covid. Some days I allow my mind to wander back to the good old days when I could hike in the woods. Some days I listen to my favorite Blues that I have stored on my phone. On my worst days, my dog lays her head in my lap & we have a lovefest!!!