Spring beauties are one of the early risers of the spring wildflowers. Their nectar and pollen come none too soon for small native bees that are waking up. In the deciduous forests, spring beauties line the edges of trials with their delicate pale pink and white blooms. The plant is a perennial that survives the winter thanks to its tuberous root. The slender leaves … [Read more...] about Spring Wildflowers: Spring Beauties
Spring Hiking: Hueston Woods State Park, Ohio
Hueston Woods sits on the Cincinnati Arch which is a geological term for this area of land that used to be a shallow sea. There is even a designated area where you can collect the Ordovician fossils (ancient marine animals) year-round. However, I believe the best part of Hueston Woods is the hiking trails. My favorite time to visit is in spring as there is a plethora of spring … [Read more...] about Spring Hiking: Hueston Woods State Park, Ohio
Hiking Meditation
Hiking is a form of therapy or meditation for me and I’ve listened to other people talk about how hiking helps them think. I feel that the reason that hiking is like meditation is when you hike you have to pay just enough attention to where you are stepping so you don’t trip and this means you aren’t looking at a phone to check your email or text messages. You are present in … [Read more...] about Hiking Meditation
Gizmos I Love: Meet Garmin 60 Series
Hiking for 60 Hikes within 60 Miles Cincinnati required some specialized field gear like a GPS mapping unit. The GPS mapping system allows me to create trail maps that are crazy accurate. If you are mapping trails, you want the mapped trail to be as close as possible to the actual trail because being off 30-50 feet is a big damn deal. After trying out one unit, in July, … [Read more...] about Gizmos I Love: Meet Garmin 60 Series
What is Nature Bathing and Why Should You Bother?
The healing power of nature I mentioned to a friend about forest bathing. She side-eyed me and whispered, “I didn’t know you were into that?” I stopped mid-step on the trail, “What do you think forest bathing is?” She shrugged, “Being nude in the woods?” “Yah. No. No. No.” Forest Bathing aka Shinrin-yoku Forest bathing is from the Japanese word, … [Read more...] about What is Nature Bathing and Why Should You Bother?
