I have several distinct walking/hiking gaits. A deliberate choice is made for each surface I walk down life’s trails.

My daughters learned to fear my all-out aerobic walking pace, as I ‘power-shopped’ in the malls and stores (and once walked a shorter marathon fundraiser, passing some of the slower joggers/runners by the end). At almost 4 miles per hour, and nearly a full yard/meter each step, this is truly a go-to for me on flat, smooth ground, when I want to put some distance in. It equated to a troublesome jogging pace for the two growing girls with shorter legs. I was pleased to hear from one that she slips into that kind of real estate coverage from time to time, when needed.

Graded gravel, common of rail trails, such as the Ruby Jack in southwestern Missouri between Carthage and the Kansas state line, is flat and even, supporting my all-out. For health and enjoyment of the ‘constitutional’ day hike, surfaces like this can provide a cardio party of healthy exercise.

Yet, even as I hoof it down trails like these, I keep an eye out for those side trails that might not afford the safety and ease of the graded surfaces. Loose gravel and boulders, not to mention ups and downs in slope, call for mor exerting and probing steps if I am lured down those rabbit holes of exploration.

Scenery changes. Hip, leg, knee, calf and ankle motions draw competing attention, however, when control is also a part of the stepping game. Here I found a side trail drawing me with an abrupt slope, as an entryway into unseen rural woodlands beyond the crest. Where was my mind’s eye? Focused on the bryophyte carpet ‘welcome mat’ alongside the narrow rise of the path.

These carpets exist year-round. They are simple plants that lack the more complex water supply system allowing flowers, shrubs and trees to reach skyward. Instead, they form a low carpet in moist, shaded areas, and provide a comforting plush carpet feel to the fingertips. Indication is of stability, as these mosses and frequently associated lichens take years to establish and grow in otherwise exposed rocky areas. A barefoot walk (or just the tactile encounter with fingertips) is invited, yet with protective caution; please don’t ever crush these living carpets under your feet.

Grass green is the color of bryophytes. They can catch and reflect the sun’s light for sustenance, just as the taller plants do. This means a pattern of bright and dark shadows can produce textures, not only of the plant ‘microphylls’ (small leaves) and reproductive stalks (YES, get down and look at the details next time you see these), but also of the varied terrain of gravel and boulders providing a substrate for them to grab and hold.

At this trail junction, I saw not only the colors, but the light and dark tones of shadow and reflection. My cell phone camera was handy, sure, for the pic above, but I also wanted to capture the sense on black and white film. My Vito II was holstered at my hip, so I found this same view, stripped of the colors, and left with the gray scale tones.

I have my all-out aerobic pace for moving out into the world. I have my protective and probing pace for encountering uneven and varied terrain. Mentally, I find that the colored view and the black and white view offer different thought pacing, reaching to different branches of thought.

How do you approach each new trail and its surfaces to move forward? Is it always the same in your effort and perception? Do you adapt to the ease of some paths and the challenge of others? Does variability scare you or draw you onward?

Keep looking. Keep stepping. Find and enjoy the variety of life as it comes to you. Find the shades and textures of new, yes perhaps uneven and unknown ground and surroundings a mindful comfort. See you out there, perhaps.