by kimqi | Nov 12, 2023 | YinYang, Seasons
Yesterday, I was walking around Siegler Lake at Big Rock Forest Preserve when I came upon a family. A little girl had a large black stuffed animal strapped to her back. “From behind, I thought you were a bear,” I joked. We laughed as I passed them. Then I cried. The...
by kimqi | Sep 24, 2023 | Hiking, Michigan, North Country Trail
Yesterday, as I walked across the bridge at Croton Dam, I stopped and smiled at a fisherman. “My Dad caught a lot of fish here,” I said casually, not sure the fisherman would understand or want to engage. He responded with a huge smile. “I have been fishing here for...
by kimqi | May 23, 2023 | Big Rock, Hiking, Nature, Spring Hiking
LOOK AT THE FISH! If you ignore the ripples and the dazzling acrobat, this picture is just like the one I shared two weeks ago. Even as I leaned over the railing and lined up the shot, I wondered why I was interested in this subject. Again. So soon. I was...
by kimqi | May 7, 2023 | Illinois, Spring Hiking, YinYang, Seasons
Melancholy seeps in. Sometimes I try to reason it away or wrestle it to the ground. This time I decide to take it for a walk at a local forest preserve. A place that lends perspective as crushed gravel crunches rhythmically under my boots. I note nests high in the...
by kimqi | Mar 27, 2023 | Lasalle Canyon, Starved Rock
Sometimes hiking is like a dream. Yesterday was one of those days. Few people were on the trail; that alone was surreal, especially on a warm spring day. Beauty and surprise were abundant. I was walking along the River Trail near LaSalle Canyon. The mighty Illinois...
