by kimqi | Jan 6, 2024 | Hiking, Winter, Winter Hiking, YinYang, Seasons
I had dinner with a wise friend. We have known each other for a long time, and I feel free to speak from the heart. I was mentally stumbling and contorting logic in an attempt to explain a series of events. The truth is, I was trying to UNDERSTAND the outcome of said...
by kimqi | Mar 20, 2023 | Hiking, Illinois, Taoism, Winter, Winter Hiking, YinYang
It was cold but sunny, the perfect morning to wander around Matthiessen. Tonight is the Equinox, the beginning of Spring. A time of balance, night and day are the same length; Yin equals Yang. This hike is a quest to find Spring, I thought. I laughed and shivered....
by kimqi | Feb 18, 2023 | Hiking, Illinois, Nature, Winter Hiking
Every February, I long to get away. This year, I took time off work, so I would go, no matter what. I wanted to visit somewhere warm, which didn’t happen, mainly because I couldn’t coordinate it. Last week, I impulsively chose Shawnee National Forest over Hocking...
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 | Dec 18, 2022 | Hiking, Nature, Qi, Winter, Winter Hiking
Tiny birds scattered in the frigid air as I ducked under a partially fallen tree crossing the trail. I searched above for the bird making a racket, probably warning the little birds of the invasion that was me. The world looked gray. A tall, sturdy tree stood dark...
by kimqi | Jan 23, 2022 | Starved Rock, Winter Hiking
The snow blew across the open fields. Sometimes I could see the yellow line as I maneuvered the back roads. As the sun moved higher in the sky, shadows fell long and dark. The lighting was spectacular on the barns and trees. I wanted to stop and take pictures but was...
