These words have been my mantra for many, many years and a sentiment I have clung to tightly. This surprises many people since I come from a family of outdoorsy adventurers and grew up hiking, camping and fishing. I could bait my own hook, gut my own fish and catch my own snakes by the time I was 5. I believe that my current mentality developed over time with the help of all the mishaps I found myself falling in to ever time I stepped into the great outdoors. It started when my Dad took me on my first backpacking trip at the tender age of 6. Operation Viper. I was the mission commander, leading a team of six men and one dog across 8 miles of rugged wilderness... and yet, the part that stands out to me the most from this experience was the tick that burrowed in to my back and the hours of sitting by the river while my Dad tried unsuccessfully to get the head out. In the end, the head of the tick remained in my body, and twenty years later I still carry the emotional and physical scar from this encounter.
Skip forward 8 years to the time my brother and I got the brilliant idea to clear an entire ravine “so that the coyotes could travel easier” and spent the entire day hacking through what turned out to be the thickest mess of poison oak ever experienced by man. Medications were needed, the ability to breath was compromised, neighbor children came just to stare in horror at our mutilated faces and bodies.
These, along with a myriad of other experiences, have led to the bitterness that I have towards Mother Nature. Until, once again, the love I have towards my precious hound dog has forced me to push through barriers and experience things that I thought were forever out of my life. When I was invited to go hiking this weekend with a few friends and their dogs my natural reaction was to decline with the oft used “I don’t do nature” excuse. However, along with the goal of trying new things, I also have a puppy with boundless energy who absolutely adores running free and socializing with other dogs. And so, after an intense warring of my heart and mind, I found myself in…The Nature.
It was glorious. As with pictures, I know my words cannot do it justice, but I had the happiest dog and the happiest heart. There were no catastrophes, no ticks, no poison oak. There were rocks (which I love), snacks (love) and peace. There was also such a sense of pride and accomplishment for facing a situation that was outside my comfort zone. Will I suddenly become a rugged outdoors woman? No. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here; I had a good time, not a brain injury. But, I can no longer say that I don’t do nature, and for this I am thankful.
““I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery—air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, “This is what it is to be happy.”
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