I don't think that my love of forests can only be attributed to growing up with redwoods in my backyard, or spending hours of my childhood out in the forested foothills around my house. In fact, I was usually the kid who complained the most when it came time for out bluebird troop ( a sad mixed gender version of boy scouts) to take a hike through the woods. And, to be honest, the reason I spent so many hours out in the woods as a kid was because we were pretty isolated and often so bored that anything would have been entertaining. It certainly wasn't due to a deeply rooted love of nature already developed as a young boy.

When I got to be older, and life became more complex, I really discovered the joys of walking through forests. Not just as an attempt to ease boredom, but as a chosen form of recreation. Long hikes through the woods helped me to clear my mind, find perspective, and often come back to the complex world with a better attitude. It even works if the terrain isn't forested, though I still prefer a deep, mossy, forest to almost any other kind of terrain. My thought is that even though I wasn't seeking it out as a child, it was all around me and became ingrained in my pysche.

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