A Master Naturalist friend, Krin Van Tatenhove, posed this question:

Growing up as a military brat in the sixties and seventies was a little different than it is today. Back then, we almost always moved to a new location every eighteen months or so. As a result, I grew up having lived in thirteen different homes and attending ten different schools. There was never a hometown mentality in our family, as even my parents hailed from different places.

What was always consistent was the outdoors. At every age, I can recall going on hikes out in nature with family, friends, or by myself. That remains my favorite outdoor activity. When you hear about my many camping trips, you rarely hear me talk about sitting under the awning of the camper or around a fire at night. I spend most of my time hiking trails. I choose the parks I visit for camping by the amount of trails they have to offer. I love the adventure of hiking a new trail for the first time. However, I also love hiking familiar trails, as they are always different due to weather and seasonal changes and the constant growth of the flora.

Walking trails by myself is like a therapy session. Inside my head, there is a constant conversation taking place. Some is about the trail itself, but much of it consists of memories from the past. When I think about someone I love while hiking, I can almost feel their physical presence accompanying me. It is then when I feel closest to my parents. Sometimes, although this will sound loony to some, I feel like they are inside me looking out at the trail through my eyes. It is comforting. It feels like home.

So, just like I didn't have that one hometown history, I do not have one special trail that sings to my heart. All of them do. I will be ecstatic when I am free to hitch up my trailer and explore new trails again in the near future. The urge to get back to nature feels the same as the urge to smoke felt when I quit smoking years ago. It is a physical thing. It is a constant silent aching in my heart.