Wriking

Hiking and writing are, to me, a perfect pairing. Here's an entry from my notebook last July, written at Palameter Point near Mt. Hood.

I see Swiss-looking meadows across the ravines, Mt. Hood to my left, butterflies and orangey Indian paintbrush, and gnarly raggedy spritely tangles of wildflowers all around. There's a stiff sun, a snag of a tree, and not a person in sight.

The air holds the scent of bug spray, and an enormous black, bulbous horsefly which is stalking us. We have trail mix to munch. My ponytail falls softly in the hollow between my shoulderblades.

Writing + hiking = wriking. This is yet another way to feed my creativity. I flourish like that wildflower that comes in so many colors.

What inspires you? Make a list. Combine these activities with writing, and call them Gardeniting, or Wricooking, or Going Shoppiting. Schedule to do one thing on your list within the next seven days.