Dogwood Canyon and Cedar Mountain Preserve

Another Saturday, another hike. This time I checked out Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center and the nearby Cedar Mountain Preserve. It was another cool, cloudy morning, but I could not wait to be outside for a few hours. Or maybe I was just looking for an excuse to not study. Dogwood Canyon currently has two miles of trails, with additional trails planned for the future. The main trail is the West Rim Trail. After a quarter-mile climb, the trail loops for a mile around the western rim of the canyon. The other trail is along the canyon floor and is ADA accessible. Although I did enjoy being outdoors (and more to the point, not being indoors studying), I imagine the scenery will be a little more beautiful in the spring than it was on the late winter day that I was there.

Cedar Mountain Preserve is accessible from the Dogwood Canyon parking lot, although you will first have to walk along the road and feel like you look conspicuously weird and are almost certainly going the wrong way and/or are lost. Or something like that. The natural surface trail is about 2 miles long and mostly wooded.

And one more just in case you missed the first 3 warning signs and were not quite anxious enough yet.

Because these were two short trails, I took the time to slow down and really pay attention to what I noticed around me. I heard the wind through the trees, listened to the distant whir of cars driving by on the road below, noticed the sound of leaves crunching beneath my feet and the swish of my jacket, and caught the almost imperceptible sound of small animals scurrying in the woods. Although at first glance the scenery was various shades of brown, I began to notice glimpses of green and pops of color when I looked more closely. What initially appeared to be a solid gray sky was in fact varied in color and texture. I paid attention to the feel of the wind on my skin and the pressure of the ground beneath my feet. I smelled the coldness of the day and the scent of grass and cedar trees and dead leaves. I appreciated having a healthy body that allowed me to easily walk 4 miles.

Try taking some time to fully attend to something that you do today. Although it might be an everyday activity, being mindful can change your experience. You might be surprised what you notice.

Local Attractions, MindfulnessCora HartApril 14, 2014hiking, mindfulness, local attractionsComment