How to Go and TAKE a HIKE,, seriously!

It's Waterfall DAY! I have one particular friend who loves to hop in the car and go hiking with me. He loves to photo every exciting and remarkable turn in the trail. I on the other hand, am a very anxious person and use a hike as my therapy to release and to come away with the understanding that truly in life all the worries are illusion and that really all we have is ourselves and this miraculous beautiful world we live in. We ALWAYS start by choosing a theme for the day. That creates a general route for the car to head and we agree that anytime and anyplace we will accept the diversion into the unknown. I am not in the best of health, but hiking is affording me a way to get much more fit while affording the tranquility of our natural world. Those I pass on the trail are from age 1 to 100; everyone can hike.

The natural beauty Lets choose waterfalls for example. One route in Transylvania County in North Carolina contains over 100 waterfalls in a 10 mile radius! That sounds like a plan to me. Theming gives a broad perspective to the day and yet offers ways to discover your own natural way around. Prepare your auto by removing anything you don't want to loose. Lets be smart here! The question to ask is,,, "Would I still be comfortable hiking if I discovered that I left the doors to my car unlocked?" Be able to prepare the auto to say yes to that question. I have a friend that only takes his jeep when he hikes and he leaves the cab wide open, He is a happy wanderer.

Stones and sky! Ask each other questions as you go,,,,, and always park safely off the road in a shoulder secure area,,, watch out for mud or precarious parking spots. Stay close as a team, part of the fun is pointing and sharing what you discover. As a photographer, a BODY subject is a good thing to include in natural shots, but sometimes not. It just makes good sense not to get to far ahead or behind your team. Sharing the event is half the fun. Also discovering private natural points of personal solace is awesome. Just around the corner of any trail can be the GOLD, so to speak, of the day. I have learned to look up and down as I hike. I particularly love pictures of stones and sky. You will find your way as you go and will find a personal expression of your day.

Slide rock Believe me, creeks and waterfalls can be quite different events. You can spend the day following a creek, you can spend an hour hiking to the scene or head of a waterfall. Most hikers you pass are happy to tell you just what is ahead or behind, and how far you have to go to get there. Good trails posts signs, markers, or colored dots on trees to guide your way. Often a waterfall day is close to the road, park and hike a few feet, of the waterfall can be a good 1/2 mile into the forest.

My tree Take time to "Smell the coffee!" I love the smells of nature. I could log them in a journal, but my mind never forgets a smell. Make your hike multi textural as well. Tree barks, leaves, rock formations, nuts berries and sweet flower and moss, are there for the viewing. Only "PICK", pictures not flowers! That is my motto. Don't disturb nature,,,, we have already done enough as humans to deface Mother Earth.

Lunch is a favorite time! When it's time for lunch, your picnic table can be a huge rock on the water side or a table in the parking area. Never litter, and you don't have to drink cold water to stay hydrated. I love bottled water, fresh sandwiches, cookies for energy, and throw in some crackers and cough drops as a good measure. Preparing cups of steaming soup on winter walks is the best of all worlds. Having a Chevy HHR,,, we often tailgate our lunches while being protected from the sun or rain by the lifted trunk door.... You don't need to go buy a lot of things to hike. A good walking stick can be a treasure, or it can be found and left behind o the trail way for the next hiker.

A foggy day turned Glorious Lastly, don't stay home on a cloudy or rainy day. Any place on this beautiful earth is worth seeing in all it's changing glory. A rainy day hike or a mysterious foggy day hike can sometimes be the most memorable. Join in the fun, the exercise and the celebration of nature by discovering hiking. Hey and don't forget Beach hiking! It doesn't have to be wilderness to be worthy!