Snowy Walk in the Woods Alone

Today I went for a hike. Alone. Because no one wanted to go but me. And I had to go. I felt like I would go crazy if I did not leave the house and move my muscles. I did not want to walk around the neighborhood. I wanted to be in the woods. I wanted to see trees and be away from people and breathe the cold air. I realized that no one was going to get me to those woods but me, and no one was going to stop me but me. So I went to Neff's Canyon, which is only a 5 minute drive away. I haven't been there since the summer.

It was snowing as soon as I pulled into the parking area. But it was not that cold and it felt great. There were a few people with dogs. I was the only one hiking alone and without a dog. I did not care. But it did make me wish I had a big dog that I could take hiking with me.

Walking in the woods is so therapeutic to me. It washes everything bad away. This hike is all up hill so it is tough, but that is part of the beauty and the therapy. You start out huffing and puffing, but eventually you get into a rhythm of movement and breathing and you the earlier effort dissipates.

It snowed and snowed, and I kept hiking up and up, and there were no more people, but I did not care. Hiking up there doesn't feel scary at all to be alone. It was quiet and beautiful. I wondered about the last time I went hiking alone. I wondered about the last time I went hiking in a big snowfall. I thought a lot about how much I love walking in the woods and how I do not do it enough and that has to change.

I thought about a lot of things in that sweet snowy silence. It made me feel alive. It made me feel.