Reflections from the Trail

Have I said that I absolutely love to hike? Yeah, if you have been around me, been on my web page or even followed me in social media…you will discover that I’m a little passionate about hiking. It’s not only what I would describe as my happy place…it’s more than that. It’s my transformational place. Having a bad day, I hike. Having a great day, I hike. The bad gets better and the great gets phenomenal.

I grew up on a farm and maybe that’s a reason why I love nature so much. Our family business was a sawmill located on the farm. When I became old enough to work, my summer days were spent helping out in the mill. When the temperatures would get burning hot and the humidity unbearable, every once in a while, I could talk my dad into shutting down a little early and I would head for my favorite swimming hole for the remaining of the afternoon.

Even in my youth, nature was a part of me.

It’s no wonder I have carried that love into my adult life, with hiking being one of the ways I express that love. If time allowed, I would hike everyday. I would spend my days exploring the forest that surrounds the area where I live or hike to a favorite spot and just sit. And listen. Revel in the sounds that only nature can provide. I would bask in it. Yes, I love nature and hiking that much.

I went to a local trail this past Sunday. I have been there several times, but it was the first time for this summer season we have entered. It was hot! It was humid! It was spectacular.

I went there with a heavy heart. It hadn’t been the most stellar of weeks, as my ongoing social media problems are still plaguing me. But, when I took that first step onto the rocky trail, all of those cares started to lift. Instead, my thoughts turned to navigating the complexities of the path and observing the wild flowers throughout the landscape. I could hear squirrels playing and running through the leaves and the birds singing. Most prevalent was the sound of the cascading river below the trail. Most of the time, I couldn’t see it due to the trees, but the sound assured me it was still there.

My thoughts turned from the stress I was feeling and I began thinking of my dad. It was Father’s Day and oh, how I miss him. Dad could tell you every kind of tree around here. Whenever I see a pine tree, or the various kinds of oaks, I know that if Dad were with me, he would be able to tell me specifically what it’s identity is. Pop knew his trees. One of things he always wanted to see was the giant Sequoias that grow in California. They are spectacular. I lived out there for a year and would visit those marvels of nature every chance I got. I would take pictures of them and show them to dad, but it’s never the same. You have to experience seeing them in person to take in the magnitude of these majestic trees. Dad wanted to go and see them, but he never got the opportunity.

Maybe that is another reason why I like to explore. I want to take advantage of every opportunity I have to see these places in person. Pictures are great to invoke the memory of places you visit, but all too often, they fail to catch the essence of the place. Still, I take hundreds of photographs when I’m hiking and always see different things even when visiting the same places.

Sunday’s hike was my transformational day. I started the day full of stress and worries, that soon melted away and was replaced by peace. I started the hike feeling down and ended it by being inspired to shoot a video for my YouTube channel. I hadn’t planned to record anything. I didn’t even take the tripod to mount my phone, nor did I take the microphone I usually use. Instead, I steadied the phone on the railing of a bridge and just pushed record.

Nature has a way of doing that to me. Taking whatever I consider a worry at the time and transforming it into an inspired opportunity to express what I’m learning through this whole process. And man am I learning a lot. I used to think I didn’t have any new or relevant stories to illustrate my growth and then it was as if life said, “hold on, KK, here’s a doozy for you!” I reply, “Thanks life. Think I’ll stop requesting things for awhile.”

Life has a way of handing things to you. Thank God, I have nature to help me deal with it.

With love from the trail,

KK