Enjoying and Learning from Nature

I have neglected to post to this blog for far too long. Today's column by Nick Kristof - http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/02/opinion/02kristof.html - has hit a deep seated chord. He talks about hiking with his 11 year old daughter and the wonders and minor challenges of these experiences.

I was extremely lucky to have been brought up in rural upstate New York where walking through fields and over mountains was just "natural". So natural, in fact, that I walked normally like I was crossing the furrows in the farm fields. As told by my Father, my Mother cried all the way home after leaving me for the first time at the RPI freshman dorms since I walked like a farm boy.

As an adult, parent, and now grandparent, I have enjoyed countless hours of hiking with family and friends. Although our daughters grumbled at times about another hike in Smoky Mountain National Park, up Mt. Kilamanjaro, or to the summit of a 14er in Colorado, the enjoyment and learning from these outdoor experiences have brought us closer together and have shaped our lives.

Thanks Nick for reminding me to celebrate the joys of family and nature. And, literally, we are off for a hike in the Rockies.