Waterline trail - a peaceful hike

Waterline trail - Last fall, my niece and me

I love hiking on the Waterline trail in Helena, the other day I was all by myself on the trail for a while; it felt so beautiful and special. My friend Karen had introduced me to the waterline trail a couple of years ago, 

It was her favorite trail and now it is mine. It is shady, it has a climb in the beginning and after that you can pretty much decide if you want to go up Rodney Ridge or stay on Waterline.  I have introduced it to many of my other friends and they have enjoyed the hike too. Last fall, my brother and niece were here and we enjoyed our hike going up Rodney Ridge as well.

The skies were gray as they are today, reminiscent of a time, I wanted to hike and there wasn't much of a choice, other than a quiet neighborhood, a little away from my house, or a little park tucked in the corner of a busy street. It had the most amazing views of the sunset amidst the older kids playing cricket. 

When I was in college, it was a treat to walk home. The 5 - 6 kilometer walk on a nice cloudy day, felt like heaven. I managed to convince my friend who rode the bus with me on most days to walk along. She preferred to walk when it was sunny, so we had to balance it out.

Those days walking in the Jayanagar area of Bangalore was a breeze. Our walk would start at 3rd block wind around 7th block, because I loved the trees and little parks that dotted the whole of that block, and walk upto 9th block. It didn’t seem that long either, the traffic wasn't as omnipresent or omnipotent as it has become today. The best part about the walk was the fresh coconut water or the flavored milk that we could buy along the way, with the money meant for our bus tickets. 

Nature to me has always felt soothing and rejuvenating. I would imagine that I was walking in the forest, the imagination of scenic beauty, drawn from paintings and poetry. I would leaf through a book full of absolutely stunning, magnificent and famous paintings that my father had bought from an art gallery in Moscow. 

I also enjoyed  reading poetry about nature by Christina Rossetti and William Wordsworth. Today as I walk in the beautiful forest watching pale leaves move to the rhythm of the breeze, it is truly a dream come true.