Hiking

Beautiful clusters of Christmas Lichen.

This year has been wonderful so far. I know it's so early, but I feel like I have accomplished quite a bit, thanks much in part to my best friend, who is always a treasure-trove of good advice. Though I have tons of goals I've planned for myself this year, one of my health-related goals was to hike more. Though we don't have mountains or big hills, I've been wanting to enjoy the Florida State Parks that are somewhat local.

I spent the first three days of the New Year (December 31st, January 1st and January 2nd) in parks around my area. The first hike was in a park along a beautiful river, which I had the honor of hiking with my mom. The second two were very close boardwalk hikes in a park not far from where I live, one day with a friend and the other with Frank and our pug, Lilo.

Last Saturday, I had the chance to take Frank to the one I visited with my mom and we had a great time - we packed a lunch and took our time over the combined 4.5 miles.

On top of being a fun way to exercise, I have been using the hikes as a way to appreciate nature and to explore the somewhat forgotten parts of the woods. Hidden fungus, pretty leaves, less-beaten paths... all of which I found at the last park. Since flower pressing is one of the hobbies I wanted to embrace in 2012, it was fun to hunt for new potential pressings. These photos are a few of my favorite shots from the adventure.