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Running away to the woods

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I hiked alone yesterday. I needed to get out of the house.

Winter Beech
Beech tree in winter

Actually, I needed to get away from our kids. They’ve been home for what seems like weeks now (13.5 days, to be exact), and I couldn’t take the bickering and wrestling and whining and begging and pouting and grumping anymore.

pandapas pond solo hike_0014
Poverty Creek Trail

After two weeks of being around them 24/7 I was no fun to be around, either. I was so crotchety and cramped in that I didn’t even want to be around me, and while I considered going for a run, I’m tired of my running circuit: the same hay bales, the same sheep, the same hills and cows and horses in blankets. I needed more drastic measures yesterday. I needed to get in the car and drive away.

I wanted to be alone in the forest. And I wanted to see if there was ice on the Pandapas Pond.

pandapas pond ice
Pandapas Pond crystalizing

Winter hasn’t quite arrived in Blacksburg. It has been fairly warm here the past few nights, so I wasn’t sure how liquid or solid the pond might be. I was excited when I hiked in, gloves and hat on, camera in hand, and saw a thin sheath of new ice creeping from the shore towards the middle of the pond. I lost myself for a while watching the breeze blow ripples against the thin crust; I was mesmerized by the movement of liquid against the crystal skin.

Pond Freeze in Progress, Pandapas Pond, Virginia by Andrea Badgley on Butterfly Mind
Pond freeze in progress

The trail, too, was icy. It is heavily trafficked by mountain bikers, hikers, and runners, and low points in the path are often trampled into mud pits. I always forget that on this trail. There was no way around the first pit, so I steeled myself to sink into it. But my boot didn’t squish into the muck, it crunched over it. The shiny mud was frozen solid.

Snow cup fungi
ice crust on ground juniper
Frozen tire tracks
Beech leaves

I love hiking solo, listening to the crackle of leaves (or mud) underfoot, the thump of my boots on the trail, the sigh of wind over my ears. I stop and take photos. I breathe cold air into my nose. I feel my cheeks turn pink and nod at runners as they pass. I spend time in my head, running calculations on how many notebooks I’ll fill if I write 10 minutes per day for an entire year (~5.5 100-page composition books).

Mossy stone in the woods
Mossy stone in the woods

Sometimes I come home from a hike recharged, ready to take on the tasks of life again. Other times I return home and wish I could have more. More quiet. More solitude. More thinking time. Yesterday, fortunately, was the former. I returned to a house full of children (ours and others’), but also to a warm kitchen where I sank my hands into bread dough, and to a husband who assured me I wasn’t a horrible person for running away.

Poverty Creek Trail
Crystalizing
Under the ice
tree skeletons
New ice

This is my entry for the Daily Post Photo Challenge: New.

24 thoughts on “Running away to the woods”

  7. How beautiful! You are not alone. We all must get away at times. I live on a farm in the middle of no where with seven people in a multi-generational household. At times, even the cows and coyotes are too much company. Thank you for sharing your magnificent photos and accompanying editorial!

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  8. I really enjoyed this post because for years I used to long for the solitude of long walks, being alone with the beauty around me and I found great solace in them.

    Then my eldest son asked if he could come with me – I couldn’t find a really good reason for not saying yes except I wanted to be alone the very thing he wanted. I could have it but he couldn’t so I said yes.

    Expecting to set ground rules of no talking or complaining when we sit to look at something or take photos. To my surprise I got greater pleasure from sharing, answering his questions and teaching him the little I know.

    It became part of our regular time together, walks, time to talk and the best product was the peace it created in the home.

    Having said that I still enjoy that time, space, peace and opportunity to recharge. Thank you for getting me to think about something that was a real pleasure.

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  10. I think it’s really important to take a moment to look after ourselves, especially when others depend on us. Gee I love this walk, what a treat that you can do this regularly.

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  16. Hi Andrea, Reading you post and seeing your passion for the out doors is truly amazing. I’m really not a reader however, you inspire me to do so. I love the outdoors as well , I have a 4200 gallon pond with gold fish and Japanese koie in it , I love the water fall and to capture the beauty outdoors it gives me a since of relief and allows me to take life to another dimention keep up the great work.

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  19. I’m with you, there is nothing like a solitary walk when there is a house full of kids and noise behind you. (And your pictures are beautiful!)

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