Family and Mountains

There's something about the mountains for me.  This long weekend we've been in the Smoky Mountains with Stef's side of the family.  Yesterday I went on a challenging hike with my brother in law.  

Hiking has always been one of my favorite activities.  It's challenging but has a purpose other than just getting in shape.  You're going somewhere beautiful usually and in the midst of nature on the way there.  We saw an incredible waterfall at the end of the hike yesterday that made the difficult hike worth it. 

I commented to my brother in law I hadn't been on a good hike since Spain.  We left Spain in January of 2019 so it'd been a while.  That's part of the reason I was in great shape towards the end of our time there, I'd go hiking a lot since we lived right near the mountains. 

Our driving instructor over there wore a sweatshirt that said something like, "I don't need therapy, just take me to the mountains."  There's some truth to that.  There's a place for therapy to be sure, but sometimes we just need to get out in nature and get some fresh air.  

I'm grateful for this time with family.  Somehow I need to make more time for nature too.