Growing up hiking

I am attracted to all the hiking opportunities that are available inside and near Tallahassee, Florida. There are trees and trails for everyone who likes being outdoors. The forests in our community make up for the lack of sea and mountain, although the sea is only about 45 minutes from Tallahassee, if driving.

My love of hiking started with my dad. When I was a child under 10 years of age, living in southern California, dad took me camping and hiking in Yosemite, Sequoia, Big Bear and other parks. I remember the rocky streams we crossed, and the narrow trails we hiked on through challenging terrain. I remember the rattlesnake we met on the trail and the deer.

Then, when living in Albuquerque, New Mexico for two years starting at 11 years of age, I experienced more hiking. Grandpa owned a mountain canyon, which he partly subdivided into home lots. One afternoon, grandpa offered to take me for an early morning hike the next morning through the back of the canyon and over a couple ridges.

The next morning I woke up, went to Grandpa, and without saying anything to him, he stated that he knew why I was there that early in the morning. He knew I was ready to hike up Echo Canyon with him. That is what we did. Grandpa always hiked and made an extensive list of all the flora and fauna he observed in his canyon. I am so grateful to have seen that list and the artifacts he collected.

I will always be grateful for my humble hiking beginnings.

Won’t you like to go on a hike with me?

My Favorite Recreational Activity

Here we are, all set up at a campsite, and drinking coffee (or hot chocolate). Camping in the state parks near Tallahassee, Florida, elsewhere in Florida, and in parks outside this state, is my world of fun, relaxation, getting away, and adventure. I make new observations of an ecosystem each time I go camping, and find a new fact about nature. I experience the surprise, freshness, and eternal cycling of nature. There are many ecosystems, and they all are important, they all serve a purpose, and are beautiful in their own unique manner. We usually visit different state parks and stay in different camp grounds each time we pack our gear and head out to the outdoors.

It is even more fun exploring nature with a child, a family member, a friend. Stories are shared around the campfire, delicious meals are cooked, hikes take place. Each meal is different, and different tools are used to prepare the meal it seems, or at least the method of cooking or preparing the meal changes, advances, and gets better with practice, as cooking is a different experience outdoors in nature.

A hike is a good way to connect with nature, and others. It is a very good way to mingle with others, get to know and learn about others better, and share the observations of nature. My son looks forward to exploring ecosystems with me. We recently hiked in an wetland ecosystem and studies the sights, sounds, and wonders of a wetland. We have been to the mountains of north Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee on several occasions, and ran, played, photographed nature, and felt the elements of nature together. We went on a hike down into an area with a waterfall. That was a fun little hike. Got to hear the sounds of water falling, and see the speed in which water falls. We have explored gulf coast ecosystems, wooded pine forest ecosystems, praire basin ecosystems, and more.

Each campsite offers a different array of plants. I am fond of trees, and the greens displayed, the apearance of the trees around the site. Trees are my favorite element of nature, and I can’t imagine nature without them. Too me, the trees make the experience most comfortable, the way it should be.

We have new camping and hiking discoveries coming up, and although we have a busy, if not overly hectic schedule, yet we take time to be ourselves, and appreciate the simplicity of earth, and go on camping trips together.