Forest Walks

Ever since I was small, a walk in the forest has given me a sense of tranquility and calmness.
I was only a year old when my dad carried me on his shoulders in the forests of Yosemite to view some of the worlds tallest Red Woods. I have confidence that these moments instilled in me the happiness and peace I find in a forest walk.

Since then, my sister's and my childhood was always sprinkled with a good dose of forest walks. After lunch or on a Sunday afternoon, we would climb through the pine-needles in some of my earliest memories in search of Pine-rings and Boletus. All under the quiet guidance and gentle instruction of my Dad, he would teach us to be still and soft, to see, distinguish and to learn as we sifted out the Death-caps from the Pine-rings through understanding the small differences in their markings and fins. Our expeditions were learning experiences filled with happiness, fresh air and towering trees, happy laughs and un-spoilt time. These were some of my happiest memories.

Now, I walk in the forest with R. After a long day, or the most draining of weeks, he knows that the one place I will find my "zen" again is in the forest. A mixture of fresh air, fresh thoughts and fresh sights and, of course, the memory of those happy times with my sisters and my dad, and now with R. This week I really needed a walk. Here are some snaps.