A Walk In The Woods (sort of)

November 17, 2020

A Walk In The Woods (sort of)

Today is National Take A Hike Day! It was on the internet and everything, so it must be A Real Thing, right? Yeah, that’s what I thought. It is, however, a stunningly beautiful day outside so I did decide to take a little hike. I live in The Woodlands now (just north of Houston), and I’ve been wanting to get outside and try a stretch of the miles and miles of walking trails that are all over the place, including one just outside my back door, so to speak.

I’ve had a knee thing. And I live with a lifelong case of crippling procrastination. But I’ve also gained some VERY unwanted weight (I was quite fluffy enough before this whole lockdown thing started, thanks), so that’s been pretty motivating to get exercising again, as much as I can manage with my wonky knee anyway.

I decided to go old school and not bring along earphones and a playlist because a) not gonna walk that long, b) I really just wanted some quiet time with only the sound of birds and the breeze rustling through the pines, and c) well, there is no c, I just like making these lists. But I did bring my phone just in case my knee really gave out and I had to be rescued by a handsome paramedic or something (I’m just sayin’) and boy I’m glad I did because I used it to snap a few pictures for us.

I don’t pretend to be a great photographer, but I have always been in love with light, the way it changes through the day until it reaches that beautiful golden hour in the afternoon, the way that summer sunlight turns water into liquid diamonds, or thin winter sun shining on fresh snowfall in the morning makes everything look like it’s covered in a blanket of Swarovski crystals. Today I fell in love with the light coming through the trees overhead and warming everything in its path with a soft autumn glow: leaves, branches, cones, the bright red (and probably poisonous) red berries, the carpet of pine needles underfoot.