When I was living in the Pacific Northwest, if I needed to clear my head—to get some relief from whatever ailed me—I would just go for a hike or a climb. Getting outside—especially way outside, where the air is clearer, the trees are really tall, and there's a vista around most corners—was really good for me.
South Florida isn't really known for great hiking. I haven't found anything to replace it yet, either.
I used to go to this gym in Miami that isn't bad at all. But it's a long way (an hour each direction really cuts into an evening, if you know what I mean) and there isn't a strong community of climbers there.
Once, when we first got here a few years ago, Amy and I went for a walk in a park in Coral Springs. It was a boardwalk (to protect the marshy landscape) and only like a quarter of a mile long. But something about the tree cover, the thickness of it all, reminded me a bit of being home. It felt right. But at that length, it would get old fast.
We've been in the Everglades, but yech, it's beautiful but not much to look at after a while. Once you've seen a few miles of it, it all starts to look the same. Worth the trip, but it wouldn't renew me like landscape does.
I've got to find something, or we've got to get out of here. Especially now that Zoe is here. I'm desperate to take her hiking!
