Hunter Gatherer Adventures

The adventure always starts with your feet. You’ve driven around the hometown that you never managed to venture very far from and even though you’ve been everywhere in this town, you still haven’t seen any of it. You know the roads, the lights, and the right lanes to drive in to get you to your destination the quickest. But you’ve only managed to catch glimpses of everything in between.
Today you drive to a place you’ve passed many times before but instead of driving on, you park in a safe spot and step out of your vehicle. The May weather in Winnipeg, Manitoba is sometimes fickle, choosing to blaze hot across the prairie one day, and throwing down snow and frost the next. Today you are met with a gentle breeze and sun covered by the occasional sympathetic cloud.
The walk begins at Talbot Street on the Northeast Pioneers Greenway. You don’t know what to expect. You hear the gravel crunching under your shoes as you pass a stump marked 0.0 km.
The path is winding at first but soon straightens out in a long path to the wobbling and dancing horizon. You read the markers along the trail. The greenway used to be a railway track that was converted to a biking and walking path. The long prairie grass and earthy foliage on each side of you seem out of place among the mowed lawns and city swept sidewalks. You used to drive by thinking the city got lazy and this annoyed you. But now you just nod as you learn it is actually a prairie landscape renewal project.
Your feet get tired first. A blister forms between your toes from a loose thread or a piece of lint hiding in your sock. Then your hips get sore. The joint capsule of the hip making a sad face while the iliofemoral ligament only rolls its eyes and sighs at the additional workload.
You reach Bonner Avenue and the 6.0 km marker and you realize you still need to walk back. It doesn’t concern you though. The people you’ve met on this walk are so happy. It makes you happy too. They walk their dogs, roller blade, ride bikes, run, and jog with their babies in strollers. Almost all them have a beaming toothy grin on their face. You can’t help but smile back. These are now your people. Visit them often and don’t worry about those you leave behind on the couch.
As you arrive back at your car you understand how you’ve passed by here so many times but this is the first time you’ve actually been here. Next time you will bring sunscreen. Exploring makes you feel alive. Walking makes you exhale. Travel is your serenity.