OUTDOORS
There is No Such Thing as Bad Weather
Hiking in the rain
We haven’t had a day of sunshine in a while. But that doesn’t stop us from being active. There is no such thing as bad weather. You can only have bad clothing. Or the wrong clothes. But if you’re prepared you can hike in any weather. Almost every weather let’s agree on.
A friend of ours recommended this walk. Well, he said we should go there and check out the waterfall. He told us the direction we should go in. Not sure if we are going to find it though.
I found it quite difficult in this area to find a hiking trail that is properly marked. I never know where it is leading. Maybe these days you have to look up everything online. There are no more hiking maps to be found along the way.
But we don’t have our phones with us. When we go for a hike we never take them with. We left them at home. Who needs a phone when surrounded by nature? I don’t.
That’s why we’re once again off-trail. We cut across the country. Just follow the direction we think we should walk in. Sooner or later we always cross a road or another trail again.
So we do this time as well. Get back on the trail. I see the waterfall. Which isn’t a waterfall. It’s a wellspring. A small trickle running down a rock. But it’s still lovely.
Freshwater. Fresh drinking water. A bit cold but delicious.
We refill our body with the water, admire the forest surrounding this spot, and decide to keep walking. There’s no map here either. We find a trail leading up the mountain. And follow it.
It’s like a fairytale. The green forest. Covered in moss. Everything is covered in moss. It has been wet for the last few days. Perfect conditions for moss to grow.
I look for a different perspective in my photographs and put my camera onto the forest floor. Small trees are coming up through a layer of dead leaves. New live versus dead ones. What a contrast.
It’s still raining. A bit. Gentle raindrops are falling onto the treetops. A soft sound is surrounding the forest. Birds are rustling in the undergrowth. Seeds are falling from the trees onto the forest floor making a dropping sound.
And those mushrooms everywhere. I’m impressed by the variety of mushrooms I encounter on this walk. Mainly spotted around and on old tree trunks covered in moss.
Mushrooms also love this weather. This is their season. It’s their weather conditions. Mushrooms sprout out of the soil. The wet soil. That is where they love to flourish.
A flower here and there still demonstrates its beauty. Mainly along the bigger gravel roads, we get to see them. The forest floor is already covered in such a thick layer of dried leaves that no flower will be able to push through.
But flowers find their way around it.
I admire the scenery. It’s just a simple mountain covered in forest. Yet it is so much more. It’s a piece of land left as it is. It’s a piece of nature for animals and plants to thrive in.
In days like these it’s important to keep those hidden gems alive. To keep the balance of life on earth stable we have to protect more land than ever. By walking through forests I make myself aware of it. Again and again.
“We are not apart from nature, we are part of nature. And to betray nature is to betray us. To save nature is to save us.” — Prince Ea
