Tranquility

Over the course of previous blog posts, I have extolled the virtues of hiking/walking in the woods for our well being. I do not intend to re-hash those posts. What I do want to do here is share an experience I had recently with a walk in the woods and wilderness and its effect on me. For a variety of reasons I found myself stressed recently. As a younger man, I might have hopped on my bike and hammered out a hard hour of road riding or crashed through the woods on my mountain bike. I might have laced up my running shoes and loped out the front door and disappeared into the neighborhood or neighboring trails for a hard run. Those options are not viable at this stage of my life.

So I set out to do what is often quite difficult; take my own advice. I packed up my camera and camera pack (which per previous blog includes basic survival stuff) and headed to the Saint Marks Wildlife Refuge early one morning. I found it oddly challenging. Because I didn’t feel great, I didn’t want to go. It took me longer than normal to get ready, I kept forgetting things and I was less than excited about the trip in general. When I arrived, it was early enough so that there were hardly any other people about. I decided to explore a part of the refuge that I was unfamiliar with. I made that decision in part because of the adventure and in part because there are very few other people who tromp around in that area. I gathered my things and set off into the fading morning mist.

I soon ran into one of only two other human that I saw during my hike this day. Another photographer as luck would have it. He was taking video of a Tri-colored heron when I met him. He knew the area well and told me about some eagles and threatened woodpeckers up ahead. I watched and listened with care, but low expectations. When I left the more open part of the levy I was hiking on, bird life simply exploded. Small birds were all around me. They were at ground level, flying across the trail and in the upper tree stories. Eventually, I heard a call I didn’t recognize and my app identified it as the Red-cockaded Woodpecker. This is the threatened species the other guy had told me about. So I stood quietly and waited.

Somewhere along about this time, something happened. I forgot about the weight of the pack I was carrying, the heavy lens on the camera, the stressors and concerns that brought me to this place. I was just here.

I finally headed back the way I had hiked in after having a light lunch out on the trail. The sun was up fully now and when I passed open sections of water, alligators, turtles and any other creature that wanted to sun bathe were out in force. As I walked quietly and slowly, I was stunned to see a VERY large bald eagle sitting in the top of a deciduous tree that had dropped all its leaves overlooking an estuary. The sun was facing me so my first images were into the sun.

After watching the eagle for a few moments, I walked under the tree (no other way to get where I was going) with the eagle some thirty feet overhead. I fully expected it (probably a HER) to take off because of my proximity, but when I emerged on the other side, she was still there keeping an eye on me.

When this grand lady finally grew tired of my admiration, she leaned forward and spread that seven foot wingspan and was aloft.

I was lucky enough to have the camera up, the right lens on, the right settings applied and she broke out into the open. If I hadn’t seen or experienced anything else during my five miles in the woods and wilderness, this…this would have been more than worth it. What a truly magnificent animal.

As I was loading my pack and camera back up for the trip home, I felt different; lighter and more at ease. I can’t always spend nearly three hours plus drive time to and from my destination tromping about in the wilderness. I know that. I can’t expect that you can either. But I can tell you that study after study says it’s good for us. It de-stresses us, eases anxiety and improves our overall sense of well-being. My field (pun intended) work confirms this. Get out there if you can. You may not want to go, but you’ll almost certainly be glad you went.

If you or someone you know is struggling, there is help. Call 988 or if you are in the Big Bend of Florida call 211. The 2nd Alarm Project has many resources available as well (2ndalarmproject.org). If you are interested in getting notified when a new blog is posted and are not subscribed, please consider subscribing by entering your email in the “subscribe” icon on the home page. Then you’ll get an email each time a new blog is posted. If you appreciate what you have read here, please feel free to share as you are led across your social media or via email. There just might be someone out there who needs to see this content. Thank you all and stay safe.