Suburban hiking

With the high gas prices, my wife and dog and I have been doing a lot of hiking through different nearby neighborhoods.  We make a tour typically starting on a little trail, then going through neighborhoods, crossing school grounds,  then more neighborhoods, then crossing a park, a creek, then back to a circle. It's cheaper, uses less fossil fuels, and time travelling great distances.  We also feel more connected to our community.  It is a creative feeling to figure out a really good route that is fairly close by, goes through beautiful areas, covers different terrain features, and is fun for the dog, too.  It's also good exercise.

John S
PDX OR

I like hiking.  When I lived in the city, I did just exactly what you and your wife have been doing.

This is a great way to get to know the neighborhood and some neighbors.  I don't usually stop and talk with people unless they stop me.  I usually just wave a hand.

I usually just call it walking though this is great exercise.

It has been a while since I lived in an urban setting.

I still walk though my neighborhood is made up of 40 acre tracts so I mostly just walk the road up to my gate and back which takes me about 30 minutes.  Usually, the dog goes with me.

It would be great to hear other peoples examples of suburban hiking.

One thing I have been thinking about with this idea.  When we choose an area and go exploring there, we are always checking out people's yards/gardens.  Sometimes, we talk to the gardeners, and they want to share ideas, cuttings, seeds, and we share ideas with them.  We get ideas from checking stuff out.  Sometimes we'll see a medicinal or edible plant and find a way to harvest or use it.  I chopped off a small portion of a plum tree that was leaning out over the sidewalk.  I planted it, and now it is an 18 ft. tall Damson plum that pollinates our Italian plum tree, producing tons of fruit.  I jumped up and grabbed a ripe loquat that was leaning over the sidewalk on a walk near my brother's house in California.  The next day, I drove home and planted it in my yard, and it grew into a new loquat plant in my yard.

John S
PDX OR