On most days ( but those like this one are my favorite - a cool, sunny fall morning ) I love to go on a walk.
Perhaps I shall take an hour's walk this morning (most of my walks are for an hour or less )
As I place one foot in front of the other, I always marvel at the feeling of the fullness of life that's in the very air, and resolve to never lose sight of how precious just an hour's walk can be.
Will I see or hear a favorite bird (I have many), or smell a favorite odor (I have many), or touch an unusual surface with my foot or hand (there are so many out there) or taste a favorite herb growing wild along the roadside ?
Ah, but mostly, will I be able to feel the glory of the life force all around me - and will I make plans for a longer walk ?
Perhaps I shall walk for an entire morning -
Now we're talking. A whole morning's walk will give me a chance to explore more without settling for a "catch-as-catch-can" experience during my brief hour perambulating.
I now will make time to veer off of the path and take chances and make guesses and ramble and wander and wonder a bit. I will be certainly take care to carry a few things with me : water, binoculars, a staff or two, a snack, a small journal and pen, a small camera, hats, good shoes.
I will have time to do that most sumptuous thing on a walk: stop walking; to watch a bunny feed, to locate the source of a bird's call, to see a caterpillar inch up a stalk for her breakfast.
This is my favorite type of walk, as it blends length and do-ability - I just need a whole morning !
Perhaps I shall walk for a day or more - ah - the luxury of it !
A whole day or more ! Surely I will have planned this walk to maximize the pleasure and chances of a fantastical experience. Even if the walk is for a week - it's done in day-tight compartments - so a day's walk is what I shall describe.
I can do all the things mentioned previously PLUS a few more things a whole day or more's time makes possible : I will have researched and so know what to look for, what to smell for, what to touch (and not !), what to taste, what to listen for; all that's left is what to feel - and that is at chance's door - how fabulous !
I am pre-dispositioned to want to feel the full measure of the life force as it courses all around me in naked nature. So I will look for ways to fit it seamlessly: I may sit in a tree for awhile, or wade through a brook, or sit in tall grass, or lie on the ground.
I will have time for an afternoon nap or a spate of writing in my journal after a sumptuous lunch. Food tastes better on the trail.
I will make the time for long stretches of what others might dismiss as "doing nothing" - whether that means watching nature or wandering aside the main path or simply stopping by the path to soak in the surroundings.
I will be making a place to stay for a bit - whether it's just for lunch or overnight or over several nights. That brings a whole set of challenges/opportunities, each one to be relished and realized for all it's worth.
I will prepare a meal - and indulge in all of the sensuality that involves (I love the whole process - the gathering of the food, the preparation, the cooking, the eating and sharing during the meal, the cleaning up, and, finally, the deep satisfaction of having re-created this ritual of life in a way I shall cherish in fond remembrance.
Here's the first couple to walk across the USA on the Discovery Trail - 4,900miles in eight months; they just finished up Saturday Oct 15 ! Here's the newstory about them.
Several cross-country walks are definitely on my list of things to do in the next 20 years. I know I want to walk across not only the USA but also France, England, New Zealand, an African Country, Japan, India, and parts of China.
The longest walks I have completed so far are only a week or so in duration, so I know I have a lot of training to do. But I did love my walks on the Appalachian Trail near Bryson City, NC; the Green Mountain Trail near Middlebury, Vermont; the Pacific Coast Trail near both Mammoth Lakes, CA and White Salmon, WA; and many walks on lesser-known trails in different parts of the USA and a couple in Ireland.
I remember so many walks from 1,2,3,5,10,20,35, and 50 years ago and many times in between that I know I shall write about them all one day.
Like fingerprints - no two walks are the same - and each has created its own stamp upon my body, mind, and soul.
So what am I waiting for ?
