Month: September 2024

I was returning from a long hike to Lawn Lake. A family had stopped at a junction a few yards from the beginning of the trailhead. I overheard the matriarch of the family say, “Here comes someone with sticks, they can probably help us.” I wasn’t sure that having “sticks” showed the possibility of wisdom, but I answered their questions about where the trails led. In retrospect, having hiking poles may signal a type of intellect.

I have been using hiking poles for almost three decades. I feel naked when I hike without them. For “easy” hikes, I might only use one but when I have both in hand, I feel like I have double the stability that I would not have without them. Regardless of the terrain, having two extra points of contact with the ground helps me prevent falls and maintain balance.

I climbed the Grand Teton three decades ago. One 25-year-old male guides that led us to the top used hiking poles. It seemed a little unusual especially for a young man. I thought he had knee problems. When I asked, he said that he loved hiking/climbing and being in the outdoors. He said he wanted to be able to be active for the rest of his life. As someone old enough to be his mother, I took his viewpoint to heart and began using the poles to minimize wear and tear on my body.

I understand that using hiking poles can also help improve endurance. By engaging arms and shoulders, you spread the effort across more muscle groups and reduce fatigue in the legs. They also encourage a more upright posture, which can improve breathing by opening the chest and lungs. The poles’ versatility also enables me to probe stream depth and assess the stability of rocks or logs before stepping on them.

I don’t know if poles have saved my knees. It is often impossible to measure prevention. Nevertheless, I know that poles have saved my balance on numerous occasions. Using them is a smart move for me and I look forward to wandering with my poles for years to come.

I loved being a vegetable gardener when I was in 4-H. I marveled every day as the vegetables grew and matured. Every morning, I could not wait to get to my garden to see what sprang up overnight and to contemplate when harvesting might begin. My first garden project was a 10’ x 10’ plot but expanded to include the whole family garden during my teen years.

I no longer have vegetables outside my door, but interesting small flora are abundant in the open space next to my townhouse. Every summer day I am thrilled at seeing the tiny wildflowers and the native thistles outside my home.

Thistles have a bad reputation. Many of them are invasive throughout our community and in the national park. However, our montane ecosystem is also home to native thistles that are not only beautiful but part of the ecology that helps to deter wildland fires. They live in harmony with other wildflowers and proliferate while not pushing other flora away.

Native Wavyleaf thistles can thrive in a variety of places. They are frequently visited by bumblebees and other pollinating insects. Birds use the bristles to line their nests. Native Americans used wavyleaf thistle for food and medicine.

The leaders of my condominium association do not appreciate my nurturing of the little Wavyleaf thistles. Two years ago, they mowed down the one thistle that I had so delighted in seeing. Last year I put up a placard to protect it. Although one of the HOA Board members whacked it down in the fall, it had procreated with a half dozen babies growing several feet away, fortunately on city property that should not be mowed. This year I have more blooming thistles, and they are spreading their seed further into the public space.

I delight in these thistles as well as the other wildflowers that struggle in this high desert environment. The area is far different than the rich Iowa soil that nourished my 4-H garden. Nevertheless, I enjoy the young thistles and other wildflowers every day.

As fall approaches, the thistles are becoming dormant. My morning observations in the winter will change to seeing footprints in the snow instead of flourishing flowers. I will patiently wait, however, for what spring brings.

Just like being a farm kid in Iowa, it’s the little things just outside my door that delight my heart every day. Mother Theresa reminds us that not everyone can do great things, but we can all do small things with love.