I’m not sure how to explain this the right way, but I’ve felt more and more compelled to spend time out in the woods lately. Maybe it’s all the craziness in society, maybe it’s from the additional outdoors time we’ve had this year, or maybe it’s something else. Regardless, spending time outdoors has been even more appealing for me now than in the past.

The boys are outside at Scout camp enjoying their annual Spook O Ree so Becky and I found ourselves with a full day of nothing on the agenda for a Saturday. That in of itself is something I’m very thankful for. Becky has an awesome idea and we decided to head out a little later in the morning.

There are about six miles of new hiking and biking trails up on Grandad Bluff. The new trails are BEAUTIFUL!!! There’s an excellent variety of trail types from hard packed gravel to rocky. The views are gorgeous and provide some epic views of the the driftless area. Seeing as they are all new we decided we might as well hike the entire trail system!

Spending time out in the woods hiking brings such peace to my soul. Surrounded by nature the rest of the world drifts away and I’m able to be in the present moment focused only on appreciating the natural wonder all around. Sharing these magic moments outside with Becky makes it even more enjoyable. By the time we got back to the car my soul was filled and I felt totally recharged.

Something that added to the experience was the sun shining down almost the entire time. It’s been quite dreary as of late so the warmth of the sun was a wonderful addition to the scenery. I’m thankful for the cloudiness of the past week as it really helped me take a moment to appreciate the bright sunshine. The remaining brightly colored leaves were all the more brilliant thanks to the sunlight.

Ahh… serenity now. For reals, not in a Frank Costanza kind of way. 😉

Thanks!!!

Thanks!!!