Tell me about your love of nature? Tell me how you have spent time in nature? I love to hear these stories. Cheer me up, please................................Please naturegirl. Tell me about yourself
You take the day hiking up the mountain with your friends and your back pack. It's a nice, easy pace because I'm the pacesetter being the shortest among the group.
It's beautiful. The pines are glorious, mostly ponderosa which are my favorite. It's summer so the day is nicely warm.
We make up the fire in the evening and tell stories. We are right close to a cliff. We're so high up the water won't boil, but the marshmellows still melt.
It gets cold in the evening. Everyone sleeps in their tents but me. I prefer the moonlight as we have long since learned I cannot bear the innards of a tent. And since it's not raining, who wants to spoil that full moon and the stars that seem to be growing to the earth.
Morning comes early, but I'm up before everyone else. I've found the sunrise waiting for me and I have to sing a favorite song, glad no one is close enough to complain. The birds and squirrels sure don't.
It's perfect here. Peaceful. Quiet. Miles from everywhere. You can see forever out over an immense valley that never ends except where the mountains rise up once more. The only way here is by backpack and that's what makes it so fine.
We're only halfway up our mountain. This next night will be cold and we'll have to take turns watching that the fire doesn't go out. This place will be surrounded with dark, majestic trees and owl and other night creatures moving about.
It is perfect and I never want to leave.
You are the best Deanna. What a wonderful bedtime story. I can smell the pine and fresh air, the twinkling stars and the coyotes in the background. I was there with you. We will climb mountains togetherAlan
We used to vacation in Maine during the summer. We wouldI've hiked and camped all over the United States, from the highest mountains to the floors of Death Valley and where I am right now is my dream come true.
Over the course of three days the Pacific Ocean has slowly crept up over the beach with crushing, pounding waves. There's a storm somewhere and it has changed our small, isolated, wild beach into a hard, smooth walking beach.
Because the beach was so uneven and hilly my ankles would hurt after I had walked 20 yards. Now I can walk for miles on hard packed sand and my only companions are the many birds who call the coastline home. No hills or holes in the sand to hurt me.
The waves are banging the shore in loud bursts of spray. The ocean water has come up to the mango swamp and is pouring into the low lying areas. I wonder how our resident crocodillos like the salt water? Those two will leave the swamp at night and swim in the ocean. The only sign of them in the early morning is the sand wiggles that show where they moved through the sand. The larger of the two looks to be about 7-8 feet in length. A very large boy! We don't walk the beach at night because it belongs to the jungle animals at night.
The Frigate birds are circling looking for schools of small fish. Gray pelicans are skimming the water looking for the same school of fish. Great white herons are sitting along the edge of the beach and the mango swamp, very still and serene. They are our beach guads. The small herons are nesting in the tops of the mango trees awaiting full sunrise before they start hunting for their breakfast.
My land of colors are bright blue, pinkgold, white, turquoise, and all shades of jungle green. This morning I had a lizard keep me company while I drank my morning coffee. He was an intense lime green with a turquoise tail. The colors of the jungle and ocean are amazing and I don't think there's any other place I'd rather be. I'm healing in one of the most amazing places on earth and I give thanks every morning for this opportunity.
I also used to hike in Yosemite. I called it my "home away from home" I loved it so much. When I was a teen, my mom and the rest of us kids would pile into our Volkswagen van and chug our way to Yosemite from San Jose. We hiked to the tops of all the falls and I will never forget their glorious splendor.
When my boys were younger we lived in Colorado. Rocky Mountain National Park was our "home away from home". It's got to be one of the most beautiful, breathtaking places in the country. You will find there the highest continuous highway in the world. Magnificent!
I was born a "hiker" and I swear, someday I will be hiking again!
You guys are warming my heart. I love your stories. I have also hike half dome Alan. Yosemite is the most amazing at sunrise. Linda, I don't know if you are talking about Florida or Mexico. I have wonderful places to stay in both places and love them both in the winter. You sound like a birder. I love the pelicans and egrets and on my last trip to Baja I got to see a blue footed booby.I also love the hiking stories. I could barely walk for about a year and 6 months of that year I was homebound. It was the worst of my RA flares. I can hike now about 1/2 mile at a time and walk the beach. I only asked that I could hike a little, any would have sufficed. I got my wish. I'm not sure how long it will last; this disease is so unforgiving and surprising. I do know that I'm making the most of all of these good days that Remicade and MXT have given me. Don't any of you ever give up.........don't let the disease win.