"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."
~John Muir
McClure's Beach on Point Reyes
Today I offer heartfelt gratitude for the beauty of our national parks, in particular Point Reyes National Seashore. Yesterday I spent a glorious day hiking the Tomales Point Trail with two dear friends. It was one of those beautiful warm blue-sky days where you can see forever. I've visited many of the beaches and hiked several of the trails on Point Reyes, however this was my first time on this particular trail.
If you visit Point Reyes and are looking for a leisurely hike with wildflowers and great views, I highly recommend this one. Bright yellow lupines line the trail, their sweet aroma filling the air; you have your rolling hills and Tomales Bay to one side and the vast blue Pacific Ocean on the other. The trail passes through a Tule Elk preserve where you are likely to see large numbers of these magnificent creatures grazing.
We had an unexpected treat yesterday--as we walked along the trail, we could see a pod of four or five California gray whales swimming just off shore, parallel to where we were walking. What fun to watch those little spouts of water shooting up into the air and catch glimpses of the whales as they breached. This area is part of their "highway" of migration: they travel 10,000 miles round trip each year--from Alaska to the warm shallow lagoons of Baja California for winter calving, and then back north to their summer feeding grounds in the cold arctic seas.
That's the wonderful thing about walking in nature...like John Muir says, "one receives far more than he seeks." There are often unexpected delights and surprises, as we set out on a walk in the woods or in the mountains or along a coastal trail. Our senses are more alert, colors are more vibrant, the air is fresh and clear. One spots a creature in the wild and feels a connection to one's own wilder nature and to the great web of life. One is refreshed and renewed by the elements of sun, sea and sky, and doubly so when the experience is shared with friends, mutual witnesses to these moments of magic and grace.
~In great gratitude for the wild places and the men and women with foresight who have fought to preserve them for all to enjoy.
If you visit Point Reyes and are looking for a leisurely hike with wildflowers and great views, I highly recommend this one. Bright yellow lupines line the trail, their sweet aroma filling the air; you have your rolling hills and Tomales Bay to one side and the vast blue Pacific Ocean on the other. The trail passes through a Tule Elk preserve where you are likely to see large numbers of these magnificent creatures grazing.
We had an unexpected treat yesterday--as we walked along the trail, we could see a pod of four or five California gray whales swimming just off shore, parallel to where we were walking. What fun to watch those little spouts of water shooting up into the air and catch glimpses of the whales as they breached. This area is part of their "highway" of migration: they travel 10,000 miles round trip each year--from Alaska to the warm shallow lagoons of Baja California for winter calving, and then back north to their summer feeding grounds in the cold arctic seas.
That's the wonderful thing about walking in nature...like John Muir says, "one receives far more than he seeks." There are often unexpected delights and surprises, as we set out on a walk in the woods or in the mountains or along a coastal trail. Our senses are more alert, colors are more vibrant, the air is fresh and clear. One spots a creature in the wild and feels a connection to one's own wilder nature and to the great web of life. One is refreshed and renewed by the elements of sun, sea and sky, and doubly so when the experience is shared with friends, mutual witnesses to these moments of magic and grace.
~In great gratitude for the wild places and the men and women with foresight who have fought to preserve them for all to enjoy.
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