I am a nature lover through and through. My love affair with nature began as a kid. Some of my favorite memories center around summer evenings spent outside, barefoot and happy. I distinctly remember coming in from those evening and having to wash my feet because they were so dirty. To this day, I associate dirty feet with a happy kid.
When I was ten years-old, I spent a week at Camp Ondessonk....a magical place that still holds a special place in my heart. Summer camp changed me. At Camp Ondessonk, I learned to love the earth, to respect it and to want to protect it. Throughout my years, nature has become my spiritual place. In the mountains and trees, I don't just see beauty...I see God.
Nature is also one of the things that brought my husband and I together. We both have an intense love for the outdoors. It's one of my favorite things about him. He's pretty much up for any adventure that I suggest. Our activity of choice is backpacking. I love camping anywhere, but the best camping is in the back country...those nights are the best. Just you and the sounds of the wilderness. The best part...the only way to get there is to walk.
Here are just a few of my favorite trips that we've taken:
Every Memorial Day weekend, we canoe the Eleven Point River in southern, Missouri. Missouri is known for its rivers and this one is, by far, my favorite. It's spring fed so the water is clear and the bluffs are breathtaking.
The Irish Wilderness actually trails along the Eleven Point. This was my first backpacking trip in Missouri and our first backpacking trip together.
We have hiked several stretches of the Ozark Trail which runs through Missouri. I don't have many good pictures, but I have yet to have a bad hike on the OT.
And my favorite trip so far...we spent a week in Yosemite in March of 2010. We did an overnight snowshoe trek up to Dewey Point on 8 feet of snow. It was a tough climb, but the view from the top will be burned into my memory for the rest of my life. I have never seen anything so beautiful.
None of these trips were easy. But the payoff from the physical exertion is worth the effort. It's exhilarating to finally reach your destination and to see all of the magical views along the way. It's also a nice reminder of your physical strength.
And I would be remiss if I didn't share a photo of us with our partners in crime. Our friends Justin and Mylisa share our love of the outdoors, and they accompany us on most of our adventures.
These days, in the midst of graduate school, we don't make it to the woods as often as we would like. And I'll be honest, city life drives me crazy. After I finish this degree, we hope to buy some acreage amongst the trees. That way we can walk out our back door and into the woods. Until then, we'll make do with the occasional weekend trip and regular hikes.
One thing I know for sure is that nature is my constant. She never fails me. Whenever I start to feel out of balance...tense and stressed, all I have to do is find my way to the woods. It's there that I find my center. It's there that I remember to breathe and to find my peace. Every. Single. Time.
In the words of John Muir...
Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.
Happy Earth Day to you, too!
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