One Man’s View of a Walk in the Woods

Footpath: n. a path for people to walk along, especially one in the countryside.

I love to walk. In the woods. Where my footsteps connect with the earth at the same time my mind connects with…almost anything.  A walk is God’s prescription for a relaxed state of mind.

A good walk can solve problems, ease tensions and take you home a different person than when you started.

And so it was that I was out walking my community wooded trails recently, when I heard the sound of construction equipment up ahead. Hmmmm…perhaps some road work after the harsh winter? Or  a nearby homeowner’s driveway being resealed?

Nothing as pedestrian as that. My beloved trail was being repaired after several years of rains had eroded out a few small sections of the footpath. But, to my surprise, the small repair job continued on and on. “Oh my gosh, they are turning the trail into a roadway,” I thought to myself.

And indeed it was true. An extended segment of our community trails had small tractors and graders carving out a new road bed and dumping and then rolling tons of gravel in its place.

Technically, the road looked great. But why in the middle of the forest? Soon enough I would be back on the real highways of modern society, bumper to bumper with speeding traffic and exhaust fumes. Did we really need a mini-extension of our highway system dropped into our little world of green?

But so it is.  And I will adapt to the new look soon enough. But, I can’t help feeling something of value has been lost.

Growing up, I often heard the advertising refrain, “Progress is our most important product”.   Really?