HAVE YOU SEEN OUR SURROUNDING BEAUTY? TAKE A HIKE!
(OSOYOOS TIMES — May 16, 2007) —
On Saturday we had the thrilling experience of joining up with the Osoyoos-Oliver Naturalists Club for a hike up and over the top of Kruger Mountain, on the west edge of town.
We would almost call it an out-of-body experience, except for the fact that there was no doubt that we were very much in our body. Each step higher up the mountain became more and more of a physical strain, but it was a strain well worth the pain (which still lingers on Monday!).
We have all looked down on Osoyoos and the lovely South Okanagan Valley from the roadside viewpoints on nearby mountainsides.
But to be able to look down from even greater heights gives an even more spectacular view. And to be looking down from a point that one got to under one's own power gives quite a sense of satisfaction.
The joy of that view was something to be expected from the hike.
But there were unexpected byproducts of hiking up the mountain, beyond obviously adding a bit to one's fitness.
That is the fact that you see a lot of the beauty of our surroundings that we too often miss when we drive along Highways 3 or 97.
There are literally thousands of species of gorgeous plants and flowers that cover our mountains, and when seen up-close, they give a person a new appreciation for the lovely part of the world that we call home.
After experiencing the climb for a couple of hours, the broad smiles on the faces of most of the 20 naturalists taking part began to make great sense. As demonstrated by their frequent stops to drink in the beauty of a hillside flower, they were thoroughly enjoying every minute of truly being in nature.
So, despite the cramped leg muscles, thank you for letting us enter the naturalists' world, if only for a few hours.
