Forest Bathing in Hawthorne Hills

There was not another car in sight. It was just going to be us and the trees. Immediately I let out a huge sigh of relief. I looked over at Ryan and smiled, knowing that he knew exactly what was on my mind. For us city dwellers, it feels like a small victory that we can go out for a walk and enjoy the fresh air without a mask on. Peace and quiet was exactly what we were hoping for when we planned our trip home, and that was exactly what we were getting.

As we walked up the hill towards the start of the hike, my Mom reminisced about the last time that her and my Dad had come out here to hike. They were also the only people at the time, and unfortunately had gotten a bit lost. But they both laughed it off and assured us that they most definitely knew the way. Or at least they were pretty sure that they did.

The trail was damp and soft beneath our feet. Almost like the forest was still trying to recover from a very long Winter, filled with far too much snow. The trees were decorated with the most brilliant and vibrant green colored leaves that danced and made hushing sounds as the breeze passed through. The sunlight was desperately trying to pour its way into the forest, just barely finding free spots to push through and warm our faces.

We noticed little frogs hopping about (probably enjoying all of the mud), mushrooms growing on some of the trees, and signs left behind from the animals that are keeping this land as their home. The birds chirped, and the mosquitoes whirred about. The only complaint that I had, was feeling disappointed that I had to watch my step as much as I did, which simply prevented me from spending the entirety of my time looking up and just soaking it all in.

It was the perfect Fall day, and it wasn’t even officially Fall yet. The leaves hadn’t turned at all, and there was really no scent of Fall in the air to speak of. And while we would have happily taken even cooler temperatures, in our hearts and minds it was the perfect Fall day. The perfect Fall day to take a hike in the forest with my parents. The perfect Fall day to be carefree, and to not have one single reminder of the realities of our current world. It was truly just the perfect Fall day to let the forest whisk us away and bathe us in its beauty.