Go Take a Hike...gladly!

For me, there is nothing better than to be on nature's path to somewhere grand. On our annual August pilgrimage to the mountains, day hiking in the Sierras is the stairway to heaven. We see grandeur everyday. Awe and respect for this beauty are our constant companions. Technology is rendered irrelevant.

Our journey usually begins with a simple question, where do we hike today? So many choices...so much beauty to see and photograph. So, with worn out and dog-eared guide in hand, we select either easy, moderate or strenuous hikes depending upon our state of health.

Prep is easy and managed in an hour...daypack, boots, cameras, water, food, sunscreen, hats, 7 prong survivor kit (flint, compass, whistle, matches, mirror, knife and .357 magnum) and an early start. (Just kidding on the .357.)

We travel by car to most trailheads in the Sierras from our cabin base camp at 4000 feet. Park the car, plant our boots on the trail, start moving one foot in front of the other and start hiking...usually up. With heads down and dust a-flyin', we trudge forward and upward. The only sounds we hear are our breaths, the wind and our boots hitting the trail.

I'm sure you've heard all the tiresome poetic metaphors about hiking..."hiking is like life...there are uphill strenuous and painful sections, reckless high flying downhill sections and a whole lot of mindless wandering flat sections in between." But, all these "lifelike" sections of the path does lead one to somewhere else. Someplace new. Someplace refreshingly different. And isn't that the magic of the hike?

After a few hours, we reach our goal for the day. We rest and enjoy the moment. We admire our surroundings. The waterfalls, lakes and streams. The blue sky and white clouds. The wildflowers (yes, even in August). The wildlife. The other intrepid hikers. And after while, we turn around or do a circle route, usually downhill, and return to the beginning.

So with the car in site, we descend with feet aching but with bodies still in tact perhaps bruised and cut but now abundantly filled with a new energy that only nature can provide. So when someone tells you to "go, take a hike", do it. You will have accomplished something that is totally yours. Another memory stored away of what is truly fine.

Now let's get to the pool to cool off....