NATURAL TRIAD OUTDOORS
in the rain. The quiet drenched woods call to the soul. The choice is made to head out on a local trail and enjoy the quiet solitude of walking a well worn path through the dripping trees by the lake. There’s no one on the trail, a gift of having the woods all to ourselves, a rare occurrence.
I Entering the woods is like
delving into another world, a wet world where the drops are hardly felt where the canopy of leaves is thickest. Thankful of the choice of the walk over a nap… our footsteps are silent on the damp earth, the leaves on the trees and low seedlings are vi- brant green, the trunks black. The inspiration to walk in
the rain today was a book, in which the young woman hiked the entire Appalachian Trail by herself. She found herself fre- quently walking through a lot of rain. Surely, if she could walk 2,200+ miles in frequent rain and survive, a simple hike for a couple of hours would be survivable in the wetness of the day. Serious hikers will eventually be caught in the rain, and she reminds us to embrace it, not try to fight it or avoid it. The many raindrops hitting the surface of the lake are surprising, as inside the little tunneled path it hardly seems to be raining at all. All the little water bugs, turtles, frogs and water creatures are safely nestled deeply under water, or bur- rowed into the mud, leaving nothing but the raindrops to disturb the water’s surface. Stopping to watch the drops hit the surface, is so pretty, so calming. The woods and rain create an isolated and mystic little world.
So many people go out of their way
to avoid rainfall, but to embrace it is to embrace the elements, and if you are dressed appropriately, it can be a quite comfortable, soothing and enjoyable ex-
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NaturalTriad.com Embracing a Walk In the Rain
perience to walk in the rain. There are birds vocalizing but they aren’t singing, they aren’t tweeting, it’s more like short bursts of sound, unique to today’s walk. Maybe they have a special language for rainy weather? It’s quieter; the noises they are making are more muted than normal bird chatter in the woods.
Stepping on a sunbathing copperhead is less of a concern today as I’ve almost run atop of one on this very trail on a hot sunny day in summer. They are hidden away in their little holes or under leaves or a log somewhere, waiting out the rain. There are no visible squirrels or owls, both of which I’ve seen multiple times on this trail. It’s just us alone with the rain and the birds today. The solitude is overwhelm- ingly welcoming, and gives the feeling we could walk for hours without fatigue. It feels good to feel the muscles in my
legs stretching and lengthening, warming up to the walk, I smile with joy that I am here and not napping at home, missing
t’s raining on a chilly spring Sunday afternoon. The choic- es are taking a nap or hiking
this treasured time in nature. Jack, the dog, stops less often to sniff at traces of wild animals’ lingering aromas since the rain has dampened the smells, this makes the hike easier since at 70 pounds, when he stops to sniff, I stop too. Our walk today is seamless, tranquil and one of the most enjoyable I can ever recall. Perhaps you will consider a
walk in the rain when other choices are tugging at your brain.
Want to Go? Bald Eagle Trail
(4.6 miles) The trail starts at Hamburg Mill Rd. just west of the Lake Higgins Marina en- trance, Greensboro. Check the weather for a rainy day.
Want to Read More? Be-
coming Odyssa: Adventures on the Appalachian Trail by Jennifer Pharr Davis Note about the au- thor: Jennifer is the current fe- male world record holder for the fastest assisted hike time of the
entire length of the Appalachian Trail. She is from Asheville, NC.
JoAndra (Jo) Proia is an ACA Certified Kayak, Stand Up Paddleboard, Yoga In- structor and Guide with GET:OUTDOORS PADDLESPORTS in Greensboro. She has a passion for inspiring women to explore the outdoors either by land or water. Jo published her first book IN 2017: “Pied- mont Lakes, A Practical Guide for Boating in the NC Piedmont” and it can be found for free at Kathleen Clay Edwards Library, online at
www.shopgetoutdoors.com, in their shop at 1515 West Gate City Blvd., or at Wild Birds Unlimited Greensboro. Her nature poetry and writings have been published in various magazines. Please join Jo at:
www.facebook.com/getoutdoors- womenonthewater to keep up with the latest excursions and upcoming events or email her at:
jo.proia@
naturaltriad.com. See ad on page 30.
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