With all the social distancing going on, it's a great time to get back to nature and the trails.
I loved to hike when I was a kid. Like many things in life, I got sidetracked and my brother, Bruce, become the big hiker. Bruce ended up hiking the Appalachian Trail from end to end.
Lately, I've been thinking about backpacking again. For three weekends in September, I started to work my way up the Florida Trail to start getting in shape for a backpacking trip. The first weekend was 6.5 miles followed by 13 for two weeks. Florida is a great place to start since the ground is soft and flat.
The last week I hiked, I got my good friend Dan Scott to "take a nice walk in the woods" in the Osceola National Forest. It was a great time to get out in nature and "talk and walk". Little did he know, with the rain that we had, that we would be trudging through dark, swamp waters up to our thighs (I left out a very small point!). Nothing like getting out in the great outdoors to decompress.
There have been a number of studies about how good it is for people to get out in nature. National Geographic had an article about this very subject a few years back. You don't have to get way out in the woods like we were. Just getting outside is great for your physical and mental health.
In the US, we are lucky to have so much nature to enjoy. So get out there, get some exercise and connect with a friend. No technology, no car, just nature. There is nothing like it!
