One does not always have to go far or for a long hike to connect with nature. There is enough research showing how we can benefit by connecting even a small way to nature. Just looking out the window at the sky can make a positive difference in our mood. Nature has a way of breaking the cycle of problems we may have going through our head. Going for a small walk, sitting on a bench by a river, lake or on the edge of a forest can help. Providing a break to think about what we are seeing and hearing in nature. In the fall I enjoy watching leaves falling, seeing where the next one will land and every now and then trying to catch one.
Last week I was not only doing that, but also watching the larch needles land all over me, don’t tell the law enforcement, but by mistake some ended up home. They have a way of attaching to your pack and clothes. On my first off day few of us got an early start and headed for the Lake Louise area, we enjoyed the hikes and the colours. I spotted four goats and knew a location to see them closer, about 80 to 90 meters away. But the hiking version of the Christmas shopping crowd was making their way up the trails, we decided it was a good time to go home. The next day I was out on my own across the valley to explore the back country. Saw and talked to some of the 23 hikers that were on the trails that day, I got to look at more amazing views than that. It was a great day. The larches are never in their prime fall colours on the same date every year, but this year I was there for the ones I came across while exploring Boulder and Deception Pass and beyond.
