Being the nature lovin' gal that I am, you know I love a good walk in the woods. But on these walks I am not always alone. There are some essentials that go along with me on my walk. If I am going for a short walk some of these things aren't totally necessary. If I plan to be in the woods more than thirty minutes the rest are generally in tow. Here is a guide to show what I usually take with me on a nature walk.
- My Trek Pole. My Mother gave me a walking stick like this for my birthday and I have used the fire out of it! It is adjustable height, has a wrist strap, is spring loaded, and extremely necessary. I don't care how good you can walk on your own a good crutch is a must when walking through slick creeks, up hills or down hills for that matter. They are also good for knocking down spider webs in your path. If you don't have one of these I recommend a good stick broken to the length you need, I have many of these too.
- Lil' Scissors. IF you are going out to take trimmings of any kind these are needed. They fold up so no one gets cut accidentally. They are handy to have if you are looking for cut flowers or fiddle heads or maybe if you need to threaten a snake.
- Writing Gear. Wonderful tools in case you see something that needs detail written down because your short-term memory fails you... like mine. If you see a bird that you would like to identify later.. write down some specifics. Or keep the journal to track where you've been on what days and what was blooming for instance. Or a paper trail in case you get lost... "follow paper and you will find me."
- Bug Wipes. Even if it's not the right weather... so you think... no one wants a tick. Or mosquito bite. And if you forget to spray down before you leave you have a handy bug wipe with you for yourself or maybe a friend who forgot to spray.
- Water Boots. I don't wear mine during the hot summer but all other times I have them on. I don't worry so much where I step when I off-trail walk or walk through the creek. Cuteness is not necessary.
- Hydration. Duh.
- Camera with Shoulder Strap. Most always with me. I get mad when I forget it unless I don't take it on purpose which happens sometimes then I regret it later. It doesn't matter what kind of camera you take just make sure you have an easy way to tag it along.
- Messenger Bag. I have an old camo bag from Old Navy that I bought at a yard sale that I use. It has a flap to hold in my finds and a nice area inside to hold my phone, bug wipes, water... you know... the essentials. Must be light weight and comfortable. I like it to lay across my torso and rest on my hip or behind. That is most comfortable to me. You could choose a backpack but for a normal nature walk it can be too cumbersome to get on and off your back just to put an acorn top in it.
So there... there are the things that I recommend taking along on a nature walk. Think about what your walk is about when you gather your things. If you are going bird watching, make sure you have light weight binoculars. If you don't know where you are... a map. I also have a couple of zip sandwich bags in case I run across some seeds I would like or a small skull or just whatever. I am always dragging something in. Now get out there and have some fun!
