Two Grandmothers Went for a Hike

Sounds like the beginning of a joke, doesn’t it? But it isn’t — it’s what my friend Ginny and I did last Friday.

Ginny and I are usually in a seniors circuit class on Friday mornings (also on Mondays and Wednesdays), but last week we decided to play hooky and drive to the Point Lobos State Natural Reserve. We planned to walk along the South Shore Trail to some beaches and tide pools. After packing lunches, sunblock, a hat, water, all the usual stuff, we met at 9:00 am to drive down Highway 1.

We chose Pt. Lobos partly because it was open — all California State Parks from Garrapata south to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park were closed that day due to the Soberanes Fire — and partly because neither of us had been there for a while and it was time to visit our old friend.

Pt. Lobos trails are well maintained and easy to walk. As we strolled along the South Shore trail, the Pacific Ocean was rarely out of our sight, and the waves crashing on the rocky outcroppings sent clouds of moisture into the air and our lungs. Our local weather man had predicted a cool overcast for most of the day, but in fact the sun shone on shimmering blue water, and us, until well after lunch time. We felt blessed.

Stop and Admire the Flowers

The views along the coastline are absolutely gorgeous, and their effect was to slow us down. We paused often to admire flowers, trees, craggy rocks, sky, water, the sandstone, mudstone, pudding stone. At each turn there was something new to see, to point out, to photograph, to admire. When we arrived at Weston Beach, photographer Ginny went off to find some new views, and I sat on a log, feeling my deadlines and worries drift away with the tide. Time stopped for a while.

Hiking in nature seems like its own reward, but researchers tell us that the health benefits of hiking go far beyond the enjoyment of beautiful views.

The Mayo Clinic recommends walking for its aerobic qualities. While we were hiking in Pt. Lobos, we were also

Strengthening our heart and muscles
Burning calories
Working up an appetite
Boosting our moods through the release of endorphins
Ensuring that we would sleep better that night
Reducing arthritis pain and stiffness through joint movement
Helping to prevent or manage high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes

Walking Comes Naturally

Walking is simple and relaxing. It doesn’t take a rule book and you don’t have to compete, win or keep score. Walking is so natural that it frees you to relax, to think, talk, or just enjoy the view.

After we’d walked about an hour we went back to the car for our lunches and chatted about our grandchildren and our gardens while we ate, then we went back to the trail and walked along some different beaches, watched the sky grey up and the water turn to green.

By the time Ginny pointed her car north on Highway 1, we were pleasantly tired, comfortably relaxed, and content with sitting quietly beside one another for most of the drive home.

This type of aerobic exercise is much easier to accomplish than dragging yourself out of bed to attend a fitness class three days a week, although that has its own benefits. But if you want a change, I encourage you to call a friend – perhaps another grandparent – and invite him or her to walk with you along the coast, into the woods, or in a desert in bloom. To use a phrase that was a favorite of my late father, “It’ll be good for what ails you.”

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