A walk in the woods is an easy way to improve your physical, mental, and emotional health. A one hour walk will help you meet your daily vitamin D requirements (sunscreen can interfere with vitamin D production), allow you to disconnect from social media, gain a greater respect for the nature around you, and can reveal forageable foods for your nourishment.
Here are some of Joe’s tips to have the safest, most enjoyable walk in the woods:
1. Be Safe. Go with a friend and/or tell someone where you are going and when you will back. Bring something to drink, wear a hat, and be mindful of ticks, mosquitos, snakes, and chiggers.
2. Be Present. Turn your phone on airplane mode and leave the music in the car. Occupy your mind with what you see, hear, and smell.
3. Be Relaxed. The more slowly you walk, the more you will notice about yourself and the woods. You don’t have to think about your job, bills, current events or anything that you don’t want to think about. You have set aside this time for self care and it’s important to honor that.
4. Be a Friend to the woods and all life there. Don’t chase animals, leave no trace, and pickup litter.
5. Do not eat anything that you cannot identify with 100% certainty. Do not eat any raw mushrooms. There are old mushroom hunters and there are bold mushrooms hunters, but there are no old bold mushroom hunters. If you want to identify something you found, snap some pictures and upload it to a plant identification app. (My favorite is Plantnet.)
Well that should be all you need to have an enjoyable walk in the woods!
Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments below!
Joe's Herb Cabinet 