I have to be honest and say I’ll pick a hike to a waterfall anytime over a hike with no waterfall at all. A waterfall gives me a clear objective and focus. The hike becomes a mission that needs accomplishing. My mind is set on finding this waterfall and once it’s in sight, especially after a long and difficult hike, I keep my cool but the joy I feel is enough for me to lose my poise.

But not all trails lead to a waterfall. Some, like the trails at Shaupeneak Ridge Park, loop around a pond. Without an objective to focus on like, say, a waterfall, what, then, goes through the mind of a hiker?

Oneness.

And oneness with Nature out deep in the woods without the distraction of having to accomplish a mission brings with it a different kind of joy. A joy that is calm, serene, and respectful. A joy that tells the hiker no matter what trying times one is in all is right with the world and that we are not here on this Earth to rack up accomplishments but rather we are here to be humble in Mother Nature\’s loving fold.

That is one joy that does not and will not ever make me lose my poise…