Hey, why don't YOU go take a Hike!

Hey YOU, go take a HIKE!
Well who doesn’t feel better after some time spent drinking in country air, touching the papery bark of a birch tree, listening to the murmuring of a cool creek, surrounded by wildflowers, rocks and even, I don’t know, a bunny hopping along…..mmm, so peaceful….can you imagine it?
Maybe it’s time to circle a date in the calendar to take such an excursion, let’s see, I think I have a free weekend in what …six weeks?
 
For us downtown dwellers, finding such stress-relieving tranquility can seem difficult in this speedy and crowded environment. Yet here’s the thing, our city is built on a network of rivers and ravines and they aren’t kidding when parks & rec refer to it as ‘A City Within A Park’.  Not only are our residential areas green and lush (when I moved back after years in NYC I felt like TO was Amazonian!), there are a plethora of great hiking paths that cross right through downtown.
 
The Cedarvale Ravine and Beltline is a favorite of mine, I walk it several times a week with my dog and for the time I am surrounded by nature, complete with tall trees, wildflowers, trickling water, rocks and even wildlife. I treat this time as (what I call) a ‘Silent Retreat in the Big City’, often I listen to meditative music or guided meditations or just pay attention to the birds and surrounding sounds as I clear my mind and soak in the thriving abundance of the natural world.
 
Some folks make these experiences the exception and if lucky might even take a once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage to some remote part of the world. However we have a similar opportunity right here under our nose that’s free, always available and even life changing, a pilgrimage at your doorstep so to speak. No flights, no packing, no expense, no scheduling and open 24/7.
 
So, what are you waiting for?
 
http://www.torontohiking.com/tohi/walks/urban-walks.html
 

*Above photo is from the Beltline Trail
*Below are from Leslie Street Spit Trail