Walking has become a daily family event during the pandemic. Since March, when our adult daughters came home from New York to quarantine with us in CT, we have been walking together. We have different walks for different kinds of days and different kind of purposes. We have sunny day walks, quick walks, exercise walks, relaxing walks, and even get away walks. Here are a few of our favorites:
The Neighborhood: One of our favorite walks, and a walk we can take even when we have just a short time before dinner or between activities is a loop around the neighborhood. We park at a church lot, stroll along the sidewalks, past a park, through an apple orchard – complete with community garden (our favorite part of the walk), across a bridge over a frog pond, and back along the sidewalk. If we have extra time, we loop though our community park which includes another pond and some beautiful trails.
Twin Brooks: We live in a town filled with parks. One of our favorites for walking is Twin Brooks. We walk around a big pond (The pond used to include a beach where we took the girls when they were young, but the geese have decided that they should have a beach and swimming hole in town, so we have kindly given it over to them.), and then, depending on the day, we walk either along the paved paths or up and over one of the trails through the woods.
The Trail: The trail is a walk for hot days as it is completely shaded and runs along a river. The top trail is a railroad bed and is great for an easy stroll. The problem these days is that it is often crowded with bikers, runners, and other walkers, and with the pandemic still a threat, it feels a bit less safe that some other walks. So….we have moved to the other side of the river to a trail that runs right alongside the water, offering nice opportunities for wading (for the humans and the dog). One day we will wear our bathing suits and go for a swim in one of the nice swimming holes. We meet very few people on this side of the river as we walk over the rocks and through the pine woods.
The Shore: When the weather is beautiful, we are drawn to the shore. We head to a nearby town, park along the seawall and walk. We spend our time admiring the beautiful homes on the water, the gorgeous flowers on everyone’s lawn, and we just breath in the fresh salty air and realize how lucky we are.
Special Walks: Some days we decide we are going to venture out and discover some new places to walk. We have gone to Lyndhurst on the Hudson River, The grounds of The Glass House in New Canaan, a trail along a river and through the town in Milford, and many more.
Walking has become another constant during this time of unrest and uncertainty. A routine that we all (including the dog) can count on and look forward to each day. At breakfast, the conversation always includes the question, “So where shall we walk today?” We check the weather, the temperature, the day’s activities, and we plan the walk of the day. Now, where shall we head today?