Today I was hiking in my own back yard on a trail that provides mileage without driving. It’s keeps me in shape for carrying the camera and backpack on mountain hikes. It’s also quiet, except for birds, and the rustling of leaves and grasses. It’s rare I meet more than 1-2 people on this trail. I find hiking rejuvenating for both my spirit and mind, so when I return to my office the writing flows a little better. Nothing beats a 3-mile hike to clear out the cobwebs.
On this first day of June, as I swatted at the flying critters who apparently thought I was breakfast, I noticed how much the trail had changed since winter. Ignoring the fact that there were no flying critters trying to eat me in January, my mind turned to scenes in books where people are running through the forest at high speeds. Look at the undergrowth. The Off Trail photo shows the forest floor. Obviously, those running scenes did not take place in a forest in the southeastern United States once the spring growth starts. If you tried to run off trail this time of year, the odds are high that you would break something.
Here’s to keeping it real when writing about the great outdoors.
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N. R. Tucker 
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