There’s something special about the fall season between the glorious mornings of pinkish sunrises and the amber glow of fading sunsets: It’s a gift we freely receive when we pay attention.
As John Muir said, “In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.” In Laurel, gratitude walks are more than where we go – they’re also about who we’re with and how we see.
My gratitude walk in West Laurel forms a loop that starts from home along Marmick Place, turns left on Kenny Road, right on Redmiles Road, right on Kenny Road and left on Marmick Place. It’s picturesque and quiet: seeing neighbors walking their dogs, some deer and a few squirrels darting by.
Along the way, I pick a stash of pine cones and needles for my nature journal classes. Each student becomes a keen observer of earth’s natural detritus: touch the prickly needles, smell the woody scent, look at patterns of symmetry on the cone’s spiral, the mathematical precision so Fibonacci-perfect — even the ratio is golden.
Here are my suggested paths you can pursue for your own gratitude walk. A Pacer walking app (mypacer.com) may come in handy, along with a pedometer to track your steps. You may also equip your cell phone with useful nature observing apps such as Merlin Bird (merlin.allanoutbirds.org), iNaturalist (inaturalist.org), PlantNet (planetnet.org). For the fun of it, take along a loved one and your dog and walk together.
The loop along the Granville Gude Park, one of my family’s favorite bike paths, is a scenic 0.9-mile, 2000-step, 15-minute walk, rated as medium, with some slight elevation. The path is mostly paved, with little stretches of dirt road, a lovely view of Laurel Lake, playground and lake house areas. If you’re lucky, you may even spot a visiting egret.
A beginner’s first route in North Laurel is the High Ridge Park along Superior Avenue, with a 0.4 mile, easy, mostly flat terrain walk of 1,000 steps. It comes with a shaded playground, basketball and tennis courts, a little creek lined with trees, a gazebo and picnic spots.
You may not think of the Main Street as a standard route for a nature walk, but my favorite getaway spot there is by the Patuxent River’s Riverfront Park. It’s lined with a paved walk and bike paths, picnic pavilions, tables and grills. The rest stop by the footbridge allows me to observe the swirling patterns of water movements, the interesting reflections of sunlight on the flowing water and the dynamic interplay of life at the bank of the river.
By the Powder Mill Road, the South Tract of the Patuxent Wildlife Refuge, when open, provides five miles of walking trails with bonus sightings of migratory and local songbirds and other wildlife. Bring a pair of binoculars to spot those visiting animals. (The tract may be closed during the government shutdown.)
The Snowden Oaks Park along Montpelier Drive in South Laurel has a picnic area, basketball and tennis courts, and a playground. Its tree canopy and asphalt-paved trail provides a pleasant shaded linear walking experience.
This fall, make it a point to take a reflective walk with your senses in full notice.