Take a Hike

“I see nothing which I have seen before; A man is never lost, he has only been mislaid. Got to move on, got to travel, walk away my blues.” -Terry Russell

Yesterday I took a hike. The trail I chose wended its way through a canyon which led to an enormous hill with a water tower perched at the top. I hiked my way up and up and up. The terrain was steep, the air warm–one of those cloudless brilliant California mornings. While trudging my way up I thought about how much I love being outdoors and even though the trail was not remote, it was close to home, accessible and well maintained.

When I reached the top and passed the water tower I found a park nestled beyond it. A park where young families were enjoying soccer and bikes. There was a sidewalk that allowed me to walk the perimeter of the park and it was there that I made a discovery.

The benefit to getting up high of course is the view, this particular view wasn’t spectacular in the way that some of the other local trails are, but the irony is, it was from that view-point that my perspective shifted.

Looking out across the way there were more hills. Because I was on foot, versus sitting in a car, my mind was focused on being a pedestrian instead of a driver. And that is when I noticed that every hill within my scope of vision had something in common–they all were peppered with trails. Before me was the best kind of playground, one with countless trails to venture out onto.

There is something comforting and invigorating about rediscovering ones own backyard, seeing it through a new lens, one filled with new places to explore.