Good Walking

As part of my progress after my stroke, I've been walking. Nothing really strenous - it's more "feel-good" for my head than anything else.

Recently I ran across a book in my library about foraging for wild mushrooms. Fall in New England is an excellent time to 'shroom hunt, so I decided to take a walk off the beaten path.

Since I still have some walking issues with stability, I've only been walking on flat, paved surfaces. The call of the 'shroom was strong, though, and I headed towards a nearby forest preserve.

It was late afternoon, making for lots of shadows on the trail. That meant I had to be extra careful not to trip on the many tree roots and rocks found about every 3 feet down the trail.

The good news was that this trail was marked 'easy'. The bad news is that there was no mention of the rock walls one has to climb over, or the boggy areas you cross using open, 12-inch wide walkways (no railings, thank you).

Managed the short rock wall - very carefully.

The planks across the boggy areas were a bit more challenging, since they are only 12 inches wide. There's no railings. And the damned thing wasn't straight either, and was more than 100 feet in length. To me, it looked like an extra-long balance beam, just waiting for me to fall off and land in six inches of mucky bog.

But, again going slowly, I did it. My balance held and I walked the length of that plank path without falling in.

Wandered the first half of the trail for about an hour, took my time, didn't fall once!! It was great to get out in fresh air, talk to the birds, and search for mushrooms. Found several different kinds, but not the edible ones I was looking for. Still, I had a wonderful time, and now feel much more confident about my slow but sure walking.

And there's still mushrooms waiting out there for me!