Walking in woods

This past weekend I had the most excellent fortune to be in one of the best walking cities in Canada - Victoria on Vancouver Island. As some of you may remember from a long ago blog, I am privileged to visit this idyllic corner of our country frequently because much of my family lives there.

In past years my Victoria walks have taken me along the paved paths beside the ocean. I never tire of walking by the ocean. The light lifts my spirits as much as the exercise. I savour both the pungent odours of the intertidal zone and the cool ocean breezes that can’t be experienced beside Lake Ontario.

By coincidence of where I was staying last weekend, it was more convenient for me to walk wooded trails in the early morning.

Walking in the woods on soft trails affords a calmer, more reflective experience. During one of these walks my father, who was my walking companion, suggested that our walk wasn’t like my normal walks. True enough. On these trails, roots and stones make it impossible to move at the speeds that I achieve on paved trails.

The workout is less cardiovascular and more proprioceptive. I can feel my brain working to process the challenges of balance necessary on trails. It’s a good change for a few days after the rigorous speed and endurance challenges of training for two full marathons in the past month.

I like the calm of the woods and I am struck by how walking in different environments can elicit a sense of well-being with such variation on mood.

Please post here if you have a favourite walking environment.

P.S. If you take a walk in an Ontario wood this weekend you might see the trillium in its final days.