Contentment by design - Living - Places photo #1039

When we first moved here twenty-some years ago, we made a set of pathways that wander around the property so that we can enjoy walking among the trees and wildflowers without trampling all over everything. The pathways are bordered on the downhill side with the lichen rocks that are all over the property (remember, this is the "Rocky" Mountains region!) and lined with a layer of wood chips. Over the years, we have added many more layers of wood chips as they slowly ground down into fine fibers that have, by now, formed a solid mat to walk on.

During the pandemic, we have been walking these pathways every day, and recently decided to add some new segments to the pathway in order to enjoy a bit more variety in our walks. This time, we laid down a foundation of gravel to level it off (we have a long gravel driveway, so always have a pile of gravel available for repairs). In the spring, we'll have a new truckload of wood chips delivered and will finish the pathways with a nice thick layer of them.

Here's one of the segments we just created, splitting off an existing segment, then winding down and across to join another existing segment. I think my arms must be a couple inches longer from carrying the many heavy buckets of gravel down the hill from the pile, but it was worth it! Now I'm really looking forward to the spring when the fresh wild grasses emerge and the many different wildflowers are blooming alongside the pathways!

Couple months later: Wood chips, spring wild grasses. Followed by a view of another segment of the pathway a couple weeks early than the previous photo, when the wild grasses were just beginning to grow. I love this daily walk! The pathway climbs up and down for about 1/4 mile in length. I typically listen to books as I circle around for an hour or two, looking at all the changes.