The Woods called, I answered

 

                                                Photo by Klara Kulikova on Unsplash

Into the woods I go, For there is peace in the hooting of the owls, the howl of the coyote, and the rhythm of the streams over rocks, which are forging new paths through the natural woodland wonders. 

The woods calm my heart, heal my soul, and engage all my senses at once. I smell the damn dirt beneath my feet. I hear streams and animals foraging. I see mist high above the trees.

I listen to where my heart tells me to go, and I watch all my steps for critters on the forest floor. I smell the trees and their dark peeling bark. I yearn to howl like wild animals, but they are perhaps relaying to each other that a human is among them.

Breath misted around my face, cold filling my lungs, legs aching from the uphill climb, but the view from the mountain top will be worth it. Pushing myself outside my comfort zone. Trying to be more active outdoors.

Hiking boots on tight, my walking stick in hand, a first aid kit, and a whistle in my backpack. The woods are not my home, but the home of so many, and with that thought, I realized how many would lash out at my wanting to wander around with them. I am an outsider. 

An interloper in the woods, but they called me in, and I must travel through their shadows. The light is slim on the first floor. I march on. I stop on a rock and pull out some water and snacks to fuel me. 

I reach the top. I catch my breath. I gasp. The view! This was worth the blisters, the bug bites, the sore calve muscles. Trees as far as the eye can see. Mountains of them. Tall, green, and bushy tree tops. The air is crisp. The air is clean. I take a huge gulp of it and fill up my lungs. 

I sit and watch the clouds go by. I reach out to try and touch one. It blows by just out of my reach. I ponder life as the mist magically lifts from the trees. The forest is now exposed in its bright green light. Each treetop glistens. Each tree absorbs the dew and nourishes itself.

Each hike reveals a new facet of the woods to me. Each hike takes my breath away. On one hike I notice the moss along the forest floor. On another hike, I notice the greenery that has fallen from the tallest trees. They appear to shed what no longer works for them.

I begin the hike down from the heavens. I step over rocks. I lose my balance repeatedly. I sigh as I leave this heavenly sight. The mist is coming back in, or it never left the lower floor. I listen as I hear the critters again. A song from a bird, a screech from an owl. My dream is done. I am back on the grass again. The car is right around the corner. I stop one more time. I take a deep breath and exhale. 

Back to the car, I go, but I turn and say a silent thank you to the woods for letting me explore them. I left nothing but footprints. The woods, they left a mark on my soul. I feel them in my step. I hear their call even as I am leaving. These woods are my happy place and I will plan another trip to be among their greatness, but for now, back into the car and head home.

Hiking clears my head. It allows me to focus on the bigger picture. It allows me to think outside myself. the woods called, and oh yes I answered and I will again, and again, and again.