Some keep the Sabbath going to Church, but yesterday, we kept it at Morningside Nature Preserve, a lovely greenspace nestled in the center of the city. I think Emily would’ve approved. Years ago, I received a promotional pamphlet from a local realtor featuring “12 Great Georgia Hikes” and attached it to our fridge, hoping this might inspire us to take them. We’ve since been to a few of the trails listed but not most. Now that we have Tosca, however, I’m remotivated to tackle them. There are 12, so I made a New Year’s resolution to do one on the last Sunday of each month until we usher in 2025 (unfathomable!). Since no one in my family is a particularly seasoned hiker we started small, with an “easy” 2 mile loop not far from our house. Despite having lived here for over a decade, we had no idea this nature preserve existed! And, as with most family outings of this kind, it was a mild disaster. Which is to say, the weather was dismal (it’s late January, after all); the trail, soupy after recent rains; and my daughter, surly and exhausted from a sleepover. Although the trail was supposedly a loop, we still got lost and muddled much of our way back through the surrounding neighborhood. But none of these things kept the experience from being fantastic, at least for me and Tosca, who completely lost her shit when we arrived at the park’s much touted “dog beach.” Warily skirting the few other pets and people there, she raced around like a wild banshee, relishing the sand and stream with equal fervor. It was a sight to behold, as was the mess she made of the car on the drive home (amateurs that we are, no one thought to bring a towel). I’m surprised by how little I cared, though. One hike down, eleven to go.
Well, then 