Oliver: For change of pace, consider hiking

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

– Robert Frost, “The Road Not Taken”

I discovered a love of hiking when I was about 9. My sister took me camping at White Pines Forest State Park in Mount Morris.

I don’t remember much about that trip. Although there is a family story about my younger brother almost going over an embankment because he didn’t follow one of the cardinal rules of hiking: Stay on the trail.

He might not have learned that lesson, but it’s one that’s stuck with me.

It was especially useful when, as newlyweds, my husband and I headed to Maine and the trails of Acadia National Park.

There, I got my first taste of a strenuous trail and fell in love with hiking all over again.

The Acadia Mountain Trail was a mere 21⁄2 miles, but it was full of interesting obstacles to overcome. Steep inclines, tight rock walls, and cliff edges too close for my comfort made for a challenging, and ultimately exhilarating, day.

For me, it isn’t just the spectacular scenery. It’s the problem-solving.

You find yourself having to decide the best footing or the most direct path or whether to go over or under that fallen tree ahead.

Stimulation for the mind as well as the heart and lungs.

Best of all, hiking isn’t that expensive.

Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve done my fair share of hiking through the area’s many shopping destinations. And I’ve come home with tired legs and feet from the miles I’ve logged. Sadly, my pocketbook always seems to come home a few pounds lighter than I do.

So I’ve been refocusing my energies on the great outdoors.

An upcoming story by reporter Crystal Lindell will take a look at great area spots to get a “good stretch of the legs,” as a scene in “The Quiet Man” puts it.

A recent outing to Glacial Park in Ringwood proved that for me.

No, there weren’t any mountains to climb, and the trails were well-maintained and not nearly as obstacle-laden as others I’ve traversed. But it was enjoyable all the same.

In a couple of hours, I saw, and captured on film, more flora and fauna than I have on many a trek. A fawn, a snake (a very little one), birds, butterflies and moths. And more wildflowers than I could identify.

What a great place to take children to introduce them to the many joys of walking in the woods. And meadows. And hills.

Who knows what a difference a walk in the woods could make for them … and you?

• Joan Oliver is a community editor for the Northwest Herald. She can be reached at 815-526-4552 or by e-mail at joliver@nwherald.com.