I’m Trading My Strappy High Heels for Waterproof Hiking Boots

“Returning home is the most difficult part of long-distance hiking. You have grown outside the puzzle and your piece no longer fits.” – Cindy Ross

I am now a Hiking Mom.  Yes, it’s a real thing.  I just made up the term, but it’s a real thing, for sure.  If you had asked me a number of years ago how I would feel about hiking regularly and going for walks on an almost daily basis, I would have said, “No way do I have time to do that on a regular basis.  I’m too busy!”  

Rewind to a few years ago when one of my children sent me an article about the benefits of hiking and walking on a routine basis. I’m a healthy person, so why would I need to know the benefits of hiking?  It took me over a month to actually read the article, and here’s what it said:  lower risk of heart disease and high blood pressure, healthy bone density, core strengthening, weight control, mood booster, and stronger muscles.  Hiking among trees is even better as evidence suggests that trees may provide extra benefits for psychological well-being.  The list goes on. What’s not to like, right?  But I was at a healthy weight, had no health issues, and took no prescription medications.  Why would I spend time hiking when everything was going ok?

“Come on, Mom, let’s do this together,” said two of my children.  Note that the number of children asking for me to begin hiking with them was increasing.  Fast forward to today, and I’ve now been hiking for a number of years, and frankly, I’m loving it!

Here’s my backstory.  I retired not long ago from my school district superintendent position, and I immediately failed retirement in a big way by taking on a full-time university professor position as well as a shared interim superintendency.  Why?  Well, if you knew me, you wouldn’t be surprised at all.  “I’m an involved person,” I tell friends and family.  In the many years of holding administrative positions in school districts, which have been all but 10 years of my education career when I was a high school teacher, I focused on my family’s and the school districts’ needs.  I didn’t miss our children’s events and activities, and I was at the district academic, athletic and other events that needed my attendance and attention.  What didn’t exist was time for me.  Lynn Time.  

Now, I feel the pull to discover the outdoor beauty I haven’t seen or noticed, to make new memories during my Second Act, and to choose to do more of what I want to do.  I want to celebrate my hard work and be open to the universe surprising me.  I think it’s time for me to spend some time with myself, for myself.  And I think I’m going to have the time of my life figuring out my future.

Back to hiking.  Here’s what I’ve found.  Hiking is helping me to unlearn craziness and stress and to learn mindfulness.  Just be.  Just breathe.  Just hang out with nature.  Just hike. 

I hike or walk with some of my family members almost daily and with my entire family frequently.  Rather than gifts for Mother’s Day or birthdays, we now go for the experiences of spending time together in nature, hiking along rivers, lakes, and canyons and spending time breathing in cool air and warm breezes.  I love getting even closer to my family by spending time in nature with them.

Recently, we hiked the Midewin Tallgrass Prairie in central Illinois that’s operated by the US Forest Service.  At 20,000 acres, it’s located on the site of the former Joliet Army Ammunition Plant.  Since 2015, it’s hosted a herd of American bison to study their interaction with prairie restoration and conservation.  Hikers can find their way through the 10,000 acres that are available to the public for hiking.

It was an amazing place to spend the better part of a week wandering the prairie.  Besides the large herd of bison, the amazing birds and animals roaming the prairie were spectacular to watch and photograph.  We hiked close to 45 miles.  Every time we passed an area of water in the wetlands, we were serenaded by frogs.  The colors were unbelievably beautiful with hundreds of shades of browns, tans, and bronze grasses. The winds were around 25 mph all day, so unless we were surrounded by trees, it was windy. It was amazing to see the rain coming down in sheets across the prairieland.  Our rain gear helped lots! 

We love getting lost on purpose. We sing Alanis Morisette songs while hiking as well as songs from Mama Mia and with a touch of Veggie Tales.  As we passed fallen trees leaning on another tree, we broke out in song to Lean On Me.  Our binoculars are, as always, great for seeing hawks, eagles, and woodpeckers. The butterflies come along with us, moving from one beautiful flower to the next. I love how the air smells when the land stretches ahead of you with no end in sight. We bought a compass as we’ve been lost a time or two when the compasses on our phones don’t work due to lack of WiFi. The gravel roads have an earthy sound crunching underneath our boots, and the cottonwood trees whisper to us with each gust of wind. Yes, my legs are sore and my body is a bit achy, but what a way to spend my time!

I’m slowly trading my strappy high heels and superintendent suits for waterproof hiking boots and clothes that travel through whatever terrain and seasons we choose.  When I first wore my new hiking boots, I didn’t want to get them wet or dirty, but walking through the sparkling, early morning dew helped me move past the feeling that my boots needed to remain pristine.  Those thoughts were for my high heels that walked through the clean halls of a district office and lots of school buildings.  My hiking boots belong in whatever landscape we choose to explore, where I could experience nature’s beauty, feel the earth beneath my feet, and breathe in the gentle breezes. 

Hiking is slowly changing my thoughts.  I’m not sure of how you hang on to the stress when you’re walking through dappled sun rays shining on leaves and nature’s many bouquets of flowers.  Prairie Rose, Morrow’s Honeysuckle, Bird’s Foot Trefoil, Black-Eyed Susans, Daisies, Sandbar Willow, Wild Garlic, Queen Anne’s Lace, Chinese Peony and Orange Hawkweed…I could go on.  I have an app that identifies most flowers and bugs, and I can feel my vocabulary changing from municipal bonds and budgets to bergamot and beetles. 

Instead of fixing my hair for going to school, I pull it into a ponytail and put on my ball cap or my broad brimmed hat to keep the sun out of my eyes.  My hiking pants and shirts are simple and work well in any weather.  The gear we carry allows us to begin with jackets for the cool, early mornings, and then remove what we need to in order to hike comfortably.  

The seasons in the Midwest are both mild and extreme.  Winter is beautiful with snow that quiets the landscapes we hike.  Spring is full of buds blooming and green leaves popping out on the trees.  Summer has warm breezes and magnificent sun-dappled trees.  And Autumn is glorious in all its crisp colors with leaves that slowly dance as they land softly on the ground.  I’ve discovered that every season has its own magic.  I’m also discovering that the seasons of my life hold their own magic.

As I write this article, I take a deep breath and exhale slowly.  I know in my heart that I have a long way to go to understand more fully that, as author Scott Stillman says, the wilderness is the gateway to the soul and the answers lie there.  I’m in need of finding myself again, of getting lost on purpose, of deeper reflection on my life, of just being.  

As I continue to work myself out of the fulfilling but tough school district administration positions and move deeper into the lifelong journey of self-discovery through nature, I know that working on myself is the best thing I can do for me, my family, and, actually, the world.  Making peace with myself by wandering through nature’s gifts will provide me with far more than I seek. The four seasons provide me with windows to live in – not just to watch from the inside of a window – as I journey through this next season of my life.   As John Muir, father of our national parks and naturalist, said, “Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.” Makes me smile.

Stay tuned, because I think that through discovering nature with its sprinkles of sunshine and rain, I’ll also begin to catch glimpses of not only the unknown hiking paths ahead but also take the first steps toward my own path that I can’t yet see clearly.  

I’m going to love writing my future life story in hiking boots.

Family Ink: The Mother and Son Storytelling Team