February Nature Adventures
All of us need to unwind and clear our minds from time to time… now more than ever! I love to take a break regularly from the busyness of life and spend some extended time walking, hiking, or taking in the sights, sounds, and smells of nature - I call them “self-care adventure days”. And I love to capture photographs of nature at its best - just the way God created it - to share, uplift, and inspire others to do the same. Enjoy!
Well, February brought both good news and bad news! The good news: As a result of a "no big deal" fall on my birthday, I have been experiencing lower back pain for the past 4 months - which turned into sciatica two months ago. (FYI - the sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the body and when it hurts.... it really HURTS!!!) Unfortunately, doing massage and hiking (both non-negotiable) made it worse. And then lifting my mom’s wheelchair in and out of my trunk sent my pain level skyrocketing. (I promise this IS good news!) This is what it took to finally google one of my favorite holistic doctors online and find the answer - Reclining Pigeon Pose. Just two days of adding that to my daily yoga routine - along with ice, heat, and my Shiatsu massage chair - and NO MORE SCIATIC PAIN!!! Amazing!!! Hallelujah!!! I feel like myself again!!!
The bad news: February was deluged with RAIN, RAIN, RAIN - over twice as much as this time last year. (As stated previously, I REALLY dislike winter - and by February I’m SO ready to be DONE!!!) I do try to tell myself about ALL the incredible wildflowers we’ll have soon, but unfortunately, a couple of my scheduled nature adventures had to be cancelled. UGH!!!
Desperate to get outside in the fresh air and get my nature fix regardless, I decided to venture out in between rain showers to do some much needed yard clean-up. My sweet cottage is surrounded by 3 acres of natural beauty and the storms had made a huge mess. I’ve lived on rural properties for over 30 years, and have always tried to just tame the natural environment and then add some decorative potted plants to embellish it. I ended up filling an entire yard waste bin with trimmings, branches, and leaves. Always lots more to do, but it’s a start. And I managed to get some good exercise and breath lots of fresh air surrounded by trees - so that counts as a “nature adventure”, right?
In addition, whenever the weather and my work schedule would co-operate, I got out for my go-to walk down through town to the West County trail between Graton and Occidental Rd - 3 miles round trip. This portion of the trail hasn’t come into it’s full potential of beauty at this point, but there are some very lovely views in the fields along side. I usually leave my phone/camera at home on these walks, but it was such a beautiful day this time that I’m glad I took it with me.
It was SO great to finally get back on the trail with the Sonoma County Go Wild Hikers group for a gorgeous morning hike at beautiful Lake Sonoma in Geyserville. Our group of 19 hikers did a loop hike that combined Dry Creek, No Name, North Slope, and Bummer trails for a total of 5 miles and 900 feet elevation gain - a moderate hike. There was a LOT of water everywhere and trails were definitely muddy so a bit challenging to navigate, but NOTHING could deter our spirits on this mostly sunny day. It’s always a pleasure to hike with this wonderful group of people and to experience this hike’s diverse landscape of magical madrone forests, flowering manzanita, streams running, the FULL lake after all the rain, and incredible views along the way. Afterwards, a group of us continued the good time with a yummy lunch at Diavola Pizzeria and Salumeria in Geyserville. Also, a highlight of this day for me was the drive to and from the hike - with mustard in the vineyards, narcissus, daffodils, and other spring flowers lining the roads, and even the acacia trees starting to bloom. It was GLORIOUS and a welcome reminder that Spring is on the way! YAY!!!
Nestled in the beautiful coastal foothills of Sonoma County, California, Lake Sonoma is surrounded by world famous vineyards and land that is rich in history. Created by the construction of Warm Springs Dam in 1983, the lake provides for flood control, irrigation and recreation. When full, the lake has a surface area of more than 2,700 acres and 50 miles of shoreline, forming the perfect setting for a wealth of recreational activities - hiking, swimming, riding, boating, camping, or fishing.
The last weekend of the month brought another gorgeous day with blue skies and sunshine, so I joined the Go Wild Group again for another hike at Trione-Annadel State Park. Our group of 22 did a loop hike up Rough Go and Lakeside trails, around Lake Ilsanjo, and down Spring Creek Trail to Spring Lake for a total of 6 miles and 640 feet elevation gain - again considered a moderate hike but made more challenging by standing water, muddy conditions, stream crossings, and VERY rocky and rutted trails. The terrain of this hike was very different than the one we did last month. I was in awe of all the running water in the streams and creeks, but also by the array of green colors as “Spring green” is added to the already existing palette - very special indeed.
Trione-Annadel State Park in the heart of Sonoma County is a favorite for hikers and cyclists, offering more than 40 miles of trails for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. It’s hilly terrain supports seasonal streams, meadows, redwoods, grasslands, a 26-acre lake, dense chaparral, volcanic rock formations, and northern oak woodlands. This wide variety of ecosystems creates a welcoming habitat for lots of wildlife and, for wildflower lovers, the park offers a great variety of flowers from early Spring until early Summer, especially on a hike around Lake Ilsanjo.
So that’s it for my February self-care adventure days. As of this blog post, I have group hikes scheduled for Shiloh Ranch and Foothill Regional Parks. We shall she what unfolds other than those. In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed my photos and are inspired to create your own uplifting nature experiences. I’d love to hear about them in the comments below.
"In every walk with Nature one receives far more than he seeks.”
~ JOHN MUIR
JoAnn Newton is a Master Massage Therapist, Certified Diet Counselor & Holistic Nutrition Educator, and Spiritual Counselor with a private practice in Graton, California.
Happy, Healthy Living!
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