Last weekend my sister and I did a little hiking at Starved Rock State Park. It was hot. I was dripping with sweat. I got bitten by tons of mosquitos. Along the way I remembered and realized a couple lessons.
1. I love being outdoors and in nature BUT I think I’m more of the “let’s find a pretty place and plop ourselves down and soak in all the beauty” type of person, as opposed to a “hiking-keep moving-push on” type person. That makes me sound slothlike. Don’t get me wrong I like exercising and being active just maybe not so much outside, in the summer, when it’s hot, and there are bugs, including ticks.
2. Also, I’ve learned that any amount of hard work pays off as long as it ends with my feet in water and sand.
We were hiking on a path as recommended by a friend, and really, we had no idea what to expect at the end. We were delighted to discover sandy rock/dunes and a sandy stream, running off from a waterfall in the middle of this ginormous and breath-taking canyon.
Yeah, it was pretty sweet. As you can see above, people were enjoying the waterfall and swimming.
I, on the other hand, was content to muck around in the sandy stream.
What a cool place!
ps- Sorry about outing you on tumblr ;)