adventure 'shortcuts'

My son and I were out skiing around our place Sunday along trails we cut with the brushhog in the fall. It was a nice day to ski. It's always nice to get out on skis but sunday was especially nice. Conditions were good, weather was very pleasant, good quality time and all that. My son suggested we take a 'shortcut' back to the house through a tag alder patch. (Parts of our property are much easier to access in the winter. Without snowcover, it's a matter of wading through standing water and dense vegetation.) Ducking through the tag alders reminded me of other adventure 'shortcuts' I've experienced.

When our older kids were little, we lived in town. Bike rides to the donut shop often concluded with an adventure shortcut back home. We'd pick our way along informal trails through fields and along streams and often came home with a good complement of cockleburs and sticktights but also with a memorable adventure.

One advantage of getting around town in something other than an automobile is that other avenues are open for travel. Ride your bike or walk to your destination and you can explore an alternative pathway and get to know the place in a more up close way. Ride the streets to get where you need to go on time, but come home on a 'round about way that connects to the hiking trail that allows bikes. Walk downtown on the direct route, but come back on the pathway through the ravine.

An momentary adventure makes you feel like you've seen something that not everyone has seen that day. It makes you feel like you've taken a break from the routine. It puts a little bounce in your step.