Sometimes it's easy to forget what a beautiful world we live in. But just because summer's over, it doesn't mean that those gorgeous days are.
Autumn is one of the best times to take a camping trip or to just get outside, enjoy fresh air and take your fitness schedule or training into the wild. The experience will prove to be not only more beautiful than your usual options but can also give you a challenging experience with rougher and more uneven terrain, hills, boulders, rocks and mud.
Here are five different ways to enjoy nature this Fall:
Ditch the Road
Take your running regime to the unpaved path and start trail running. Whether you're already an avid runner or if you just want to pick up the pace of your hikes, trail running is a great way to spend an afternoon in the beauty of nature and work on your fitness. Make sure you choose a route that's appropriate to your fitness and endurance level and factor in elevation gains, climbs and distances involved.
Take a Hike
Similarly, a good ol' hike can be just the ticket for getting back to nature. You can go at your own pace and take time to "smell the roses," as they say. You have more leeway than you would on a trail run to take photos, explore, examine, enjoy the scenery, talk with a companion, or just wander alone with your thoughts.
Make Like Ansel Adams
Brush up on your photography skills or, if you have any sort of artistic inclination, throw your sketchbook in your pack when you head to a national or state park or any other sort of open space. Autumn is one of the most visually stimulating times of the year in all parts of the country. On the East Coast, the colors of turning leaves; on the desert, the fiery sunsets; the grandeur and blue skies of the wild west...there are so many memories to capture and hang on your wall.
Ride a Bike
You'll cover more ground than on a hike and can incorporate part of your training plan into a scenic cruise. Whether it's road biking or mountain biking you're into, you'll be able to find a great natural setting in which to do it. Just be sure to research the biking rules and regulations of the land you'll be visiting and appropriate routes for you.
Sleep Under the Stars
There's no better way to get close to nature than to go camping. Pick the location of your choice, pack up your family, friends, spouse and head to the hills.
Find a camping spot and plan your next trip.
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