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 | 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 | Jan 29, 2023 | YinYang, Seasons
It was cold, but the snow had stopped, and there wasn’t more forecast. I love the snow. It will only get colder, I reasoned. It was decided. I bundled up and went to a small local forest preserve early Sunday morning. It sure WAS cold. I’ve gained a little weight...
by kimqi | Jan 10, 2023 | Nature, Winter Hiking, YinYang, Seasons
The soft wail of a train, the familiar rumble, the rhythm as metal met metal, this sorrowful, distant music pulled me from sleep. It was still dark, but I remembered the sunny creek from yesterday. Swiftly moving icy water spilled loudly over the rocky bottom. It sang...
by kimqi | Nov 13, 2022 | Fall Hiking, Hiking, Michigan, North Country Trail, YinYang, Seasons
The Michigan State Trooper rolled down his window and gave me a questioning look with a tentative thumbs up. I was on the side of the road with my hazards on, looking at a map. I channeled my grandma Leta who once gave her doctor a check, requesting he deliver it to...
by kimqi | Nov 5, 2022 | Hiking, Michigan, YinYang, Seasons
The feeder trail was long, hot and dusty. It was early July and the smell of pine was sharp from the heat. My thirteen-year-old nephew and I walked under the power lines. Power companies clearcut land but generously allow trails on their property. The cost of these...
