January 7, 2016.

New year, no time, gotta get a hike in…where to go? An old favorite, Bald Hill. I don’t know how many times I’ve been up here because I’m pretty sure I haven’t logged them all. But it’s been quite a few times.

This afternoon I managed to squeeze a hike to the top and back, taking just over an hour to do so. The air was heavy and gray, cloaking the surrounding hillsides. The brown grasses took on a gloomy appearance in the filtered light. I blasted up to the top as fast as I could, posed for an obligatory selfie, and blasted back down.

I was stopped in my tracks on the way down, however, running into a former client/friend/associate who was out on a walk today, too. I was so lost in my own head that I nearly brushed by without even seeing her. It was a good reminder to soften the focus a little bit in order to let unexpected information to come in, too.

A quick hike in any kind of weather is like medicine for the soul. A hike doesn’t have to be epic to be meaningful, and it is often these more frequent “maintenance hikes” that have a bigger impact on day-to-day life than the big ones.