Ah! Wilderness

I hit the trail today with friends from the Sierra Club. It was wonderful to be outdoors, to feel the sun on my face (truly!). It was 85. Apologies to New Yorkers who are having -2 this week and my home city, Chicago, 18 above. I shiver just thinking about it.

We saw wildlife, a deer behind a tree, many birds, and a baby snake who slithered into the shrubbery when we came upon him. There was also plenty of Poison Oak. We kept our distance. That stuff is nasty. A bad case of it sent my step-son to the hospital last year. He still has scars to prove how deadly it can be.

I loved stopping under a mighty Live Oak for lunch and skipping across streams and pools of water that had swollen after the recent rain storms. Trails were full of ruts and small canyons but we were able to negotiate them all!

I returned to my car sweaty but serene. There's nothing like a good hike in the mountains to set me straight in body, mind, and spirit. I'll be doing a lot more of it this year.