My love affair with walking began before 1st grade. Back then, my Aunt Essie would take me hiking in the woods of Tamaqua. She showed me how to find birch bark and sassafras plants to chew on. We’d hunt for teaberries. We’d break open hunks of shale to look for fossils.
Even when we weren’t hiking for fun, Aunt Es was still a big walker. We’d walk miles to buy groceries, go downtown and visit friends. And Essie was old at the time (ancient to me back then…at least 55!).
So since I was 5, it was no big deal for me to walk to friends houses, the park, the town swimming pool or wherever. I just had to be home for lunch, supper and when the street lights came on.
As I progressed through elementary and middle school, walking was my primary source of transportation (although I’d bike a lot too – especially if I wanted to get somewhere far).
Since we were a one car family and my mom worked all the time, I was on my own for getting to school, the grocery store, the library, friends houses and anywhere I wanted to go for fun.
Going to the Blue Slide Park meant a 3 mile trek each way. But it was worth it to spend all Saturday on the slides, merry go rounds, hiking the trails and rolling like logs down the hills.
Believe me though, trudging home exhausted after a long day of playing, I wished we had a ride.
Through high school, I never had a car.
My friends and I were all usually broke. For entertainment, we’d regularly walk to each others houses to hang out, to parks to play ball, to the $1 movie theater in Bellevue and to the arcade to play video games. If we had nothing to do, we’d just stroll around the neighborhood.
I knew a few kids who were so spoiled that their parents bought them a car! Usually, the kid had to pay for his own insurance, gas and repairs. Back then, insurance for a 16 year old boy was around $300/month! So my “lucky” friends had to work a part-time job 20 hours a week just to cover their car expenses. I’d happily bum a ride from them and even chip for gas – but there was no way I was willing to spend all my money just for wheels.
Walking was such a part of my life, that I didn’t realize how much I needed it until I was in college. As a student attending Pitt, I often felt overwhelmed in a the crush of students packing the sidewalks, streets and classes.
I found myself seeking out places I where I could walk in solitude:
I walked up “Heart Attack Hill” in Oakland for wrestling practice or to swim laps. (Nobody ever joined me for these walks).
Instead of taking the elevators to the 35th floor in the Cathedral of Learning, I’d take the stairs and explore the labyrinth of corridors and offices that connected the upper stairwells.
After getting home in the late afternoons, I grab our dog Schultze and head to the park to walk the trails. She hated the leash but loved when I’d let her loose to scamper, chase squirrels and growl at other dogs.
These walks calmed my racing mind and slowed my breathing.
Even after I had a family and a car, walking remained a big part of my life.
My son Zack and I walked to places all the time. He had boundless energy so after school we’d walk to the park, the ballfields and the woods.
On weekends, no matter what the weather was like, we’d put on our “mud gear” and I’d take him and his friends for 4 hours hikes through the woods. We’d get home just in time for dinner – wiped out, satisfied and filthy.
Years later, Ellen and I were finally able to buy our first house and our first dog.
Ziggy was a high energy Kerry Blue Terrier. I’d walk him for an hour every morning and night. Ellen would take him for an hour every afternoon.
He’d have walked more if we had the energy.
A few years later we adopted Shortie, our mini poodle and he joined our dog walking team.
Many years later after Ziggy died, we adopted Snickers and she joined our trio.
Shortie has passed on so now it’s just me, Ellen and Snickers walking.
I’ve been walking dogs every morning (and most evenings) for nearly 20 years. (I’ve become a connoisseur of dog poop).
Walking has given me more than I would have ever imagined. It wasn’t until I sat down to write this post that I really ever considered all of the things:
Walking outside in any weather seems to help my immunity. I rarely get sick – even when everyone around me has a cold.
I am connected to nature – I see the seasons change, the birds migrate, the squirrels hide their nuts, the plants die in winter and come back in the spring.
It’s bonded me with my friends and multiple generations of family.
Walking is my meditation – especially when joined by a dog. Although I look forward to brisk hikes and hills that make me breathe hard, it’s also soothing to meander slowly down the sidewalk while Snickers sniffs the trees, pees a dozen times and we slowly explore the street together.
Since I no longer spend most of my time working, Ellen and I have been able to walk Snickers together every night for the past 5 years. This is often the highlight of my day. We talk about the day, we chat with the neighbors and we unwind as we simply spend slow time, in nature, together.
Walking has made me self-reliant. Rarely have been in a situation where I didn’t think to myself, “I could just walk from here”.
When a snow storm dumped a foot of snow in a few hours and we were stuck at school until 5PM, I walked the 5 miles home. The next time it happened, I left on time and got home earlier.
When my car broke down on the highway, I left it there and walked 3 miles to a pay phone to call AAA.
Whenever I was stuck without a ride home or in an uncomfortable situation, I could always start walking. And I often did just that.
Walking has been my free entertainment. All I ever needed was the clothes on my back and occasionally cold weather gear.
I’ve explored woods, state parks, local parks, alleyways, tree lined streets, stadium parking lots, abandoned industrial sites, nature trails and alleyways.
I cherish memories of walking through the woods at night when it was made bright and silent from a thick blanket of freshly fallen snow.
I’ve seen the sun rise countless mornings (always from behind a dog’s butt).
I’ve watched the bunnies nibbling, foxes disappearing into the fog, deer jumping tall fences, cats sunbathing and racoons sneaking away.
Walking has improved my social life. It’s how I’ve met most of my neighbors. It’s when I learn which houses are selling, who has kids, who just moved in and where they work.
It’s enabled me to slow down and connect with people who otherwise would just be nameless faces in cars going to and from work.
If you are looking for a secret weapon to improve everything in your life, then it’s time to start walking.