Winter: Snow Dogs

Check out this Malamute pup playing in the snow for the first time. Guaranteed to make you happy. How many things can you say
that about?

Can you spot the Malamute? Flawless blending in.

http://www.pinterest.com/mariedoucette/dogs/

The Joy of Movement: Taking a Nature Walk

Little trail in some nearby woods.

Before I moved out west to Colorado, I considered myself a hiker, but that was before I knew I was supposed to buy thousands of dollars worth of flashy gear to go roughing it in the mountains, insulting the lesser mortals who dared to go without my flashy walking sticks as I passed them by on the trails, bragging about how many "14er" (peaks over 14,000 ft) climbs I had under my very expensive, hand-tooled leather belt from the flagship REI store in Denver, complete with rock climbing wall for weekend warriors and their brats, er kids. 

Woods!

Oh, so that what it is! I guess me and my Dad's banged up metal Boy Scout canteen could just go elsewhere, and that's just what I did, following his old adage to vote using my feet. I grew up with the lower Catskills, Adirondacks, and portions of the famous Appalachian trail at my feet, so clearly I was the douche bag for attaching enough shitty attitude to that fact. My bad. 

Gorgeous green ferns.

Let's correct the facts today. I am a hiker, but I'm also a naturalist who loves looking at scenery. Not every walk has to be a grueling, painful death march of endurance that you brag about on Monday at the water cooler, with your latest "good for you for showing up" medal. Sometimes I just go to smell the roses so to speak, or whatever wild flowers are growing at the time. 

Fallen tree to climb over. Yay!

It's enough for me to feel the leaves under my feet, beneath a forest canopy, maybe take some beautiful pictures, relishing the sounds of birds and the feeling of "aloneness" while surrounded by nature. Sometimes it's that small, and also that significant. Don't let someone else's hang ups dull your experiences or cloud the enjoyment you feel in the woods. Get to it!

No fancy gear, just me.

For those of you who also enjoying moving your feet (along with other body parts), I have a Pinterest board for that: http://pinterest.com/mariedoucette/the-joy-of-movement/.