In the past few weeks, I have found myself with a renewed enthusiasm for “doing stuff” outside. While that has done nothing for the barely noticeable gains I’ve made strength training in the gym, it has done wonders for my mind, which every year around this time takes a dip in a stank vat of “fuck everything and everyone; yes, even you.”
Along with nudging my mind into finding society somewhat tolerable, it has also put a little spring in my lumbering steps and has me looking forward to my near-daily hikes in the woods and feeling “off” if they don’t happen. It reminds me of my bicycle-obsessed days when missing a planned ride could have me in a shit mood for the rest of the day, but thankfully falls short of such neurosis.
Last week I finished my 2nd week in a row with 20+ miles of lumbering and hiking (18 of which were in the woods) in my feetz, and I hope to match or exceed that number this week.
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From a photography standpoint, it’s been just OK, but most of that is because I am hiking at a faster pace than my “photo creeps,” and I’ve been opting to take a tiny 12-year-old Canon s95 point and shoot or my lightweight Nikon z50 and a small 28mm (42mm equivalent on the z50) lens.
I’m sure I’ll be back in the gym lifting heavy things for no reason or creeping around with a 600mm lens looking for birds and critters again soon, but the weather has been too damn perfect not to be outside. And living in central Michigan means that any week now, Ma Nature will flip the switch, and things will be wet, cold, icy, gray, dank, windy, muddy, miserable, disgusting, and lifeless until Memorial Day.
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All the photos today were taken at Deerfield Park outside of Mount Pleasant, Michigan. It appears that I have been super into taking vertical photos these days.
OK, I gotta poop and get out for my hike stat before I lose my motivation and potentially poop my “comfort” pants. Speaking of poop, I’ve included a photo of the outhouse near the campground to commemorate my time in it after a speedy, sphincter-clenching penguin walk through the woods last week. I gotta lay off the 3rd cup of coffee in the morning!!
Later.
Edit: I was pressed for time this morning, so here’s the track of the post a bit late.
SOILED SOUNDS TRACK OF THE POST:
Wanted to mix things up and move back to some more traditional indie-type stuff from Dry Cleaning. The above track, Scratchcard Lanyard, from the album New Long Leg has me smitten, as does their latest single, Gary Ashby. from the forthcoming album, Stumpwork, releasing later this month.