Walking

I suppose it’s all in what you’re used to.  What may seem a challenge to some is nothing out of the ordinary to others.  I have seen both sides of this since returning to Alabama.  I’ve talked about driving all over Birmingham in the quest for particular foodstuffs and how my friends and family saw nothing strange about that.  On the other hand, what I’ve done for exercise has made more than a few heads turn.

I like to walk.  I enjoyed it when I lived in Colorado for a number of reasons.  The exercise did me some good; there was plenty of fresh air to take in; and I sometimes met interesting people.  I would often take my camera along as well because there were many things to photograph.  Boulder was a pedestrian friendly city—sometimes I thought it was too much so—with a variety of fascinating places to sample.

Birmingham is a different place.  Boulder is actually an older city but Birmingham has neighborhoods that have the look and feel of places that have seen many years pass over them.  Boulder, on the other hand, has few “old” areas and those are mostly around the University of Colorado campus, and Mapleton Hill with its staid, even stately, homes and maple tree-lined streets.

A walk around my neighborhood is a journey of discovery.  The area is covered with trees, vines, tall grass and buildings that range in appearance from handsome to dilapidated.  It’s amazing to see some which are abandoned or fire-gutted but allowed to stand.  Some of the houses I was familiar with forty years ago are beginning to sag and show signs of neglect and decay.  Then there are those with yards that look more like jungles.  The grass is very tall; kudzu vines cover the fences; and their gardens are overrun with wild plants of every description.

Lawn care has always been a matter of pride for homeowners wherever they live.  In Colorado, the major issue was water.  The semi-arid climate demanded that a verdant lawn drank a lot of water, so much so that some cities had to institute water rationing to have enough to go around.  That is not the case in Alabama where every shade of green imaginable can be seen.  Rainfall is abundant and occurs with astonishing regularity.  Because of this, a lawn that has been mowed today will need cutting two weeks later.  During my walks it has been interesting to see which homeowners are serious about lawn care, which ones don’t care, and who fall in between.  My mother’s yard definitely is in the middle ground category.

In addition to viewing different lawns, there are many hills and prominences in my part of Birmingham which my feet have tramped across.  I’ve already mentioned Dynamite Hill, but it is hardly the only height around here.  Some of the neighboring communities have names that are indicative of their topography.  College Hills, Enon Ridge and Fountain Heights are just a few that I’ve ambled through, and I know others lying around the next bend which are awaiting my discovery and exploration.

It is precisely my wish to discover and explore that has so fascinated my relatives.  I’m often asked why do I go walking and where.  I get curious looks when I say I’d rather walk to a cousin’s or uncle’s home than drive the short distance because I want the exercise.  I don’t think my family is particularly lazy just because they prefer to drive.  There are some practical reasons for this and the Alabama climate is a major one.

Summer has now arrived and with it the pleasantly mild spring days have given way to the sultry, humid ones I remember from my previous residence.  It doesn’t simply get hot here.  The humidity compounds the heat effect and can make it seem hotter than it actually is.  So a walk that encompasses two miles or so—something that I like to do—can be a real labor when the temperature goes over 86° (30° C) and the humidity jumps over 50 percent.  Combine that with a relentless sun and you can understand why some of my kin only shake their heads when they see me coming back home after a walk.

They also don’t like the fact that I like scaling the hills and won’t walk around them, but instead will take the straightest route to the top.  The western slope of Dynamite Hill is more than most of my relatives want to handle, and when my cousins see me begin the trudge to the top they ask, “Isn’t that too steep to go walking up?  I wouldn’t do it.”  To that I smile and then reply, “Hey, I’ve climbed steeper and higher in Colorado!”  That usually ends the discussion.

That, I think, is the key.  I wasn’t in the best physical shape when I lived in Colorado and I’ll be the first to admit it.  I’d lose my breath on trails in Rocky Mountain National Park, see young kids go scampering by me, and even have a grandmother or grandfather pass me frequently.  Now, to be fair to me, much of that was due to my being a very clumsy hiker.  I regularly stubbed my boots against the rocks and stones you found on every Colorado mountain trail so I had to walk carefully to avoid taking a spill or disastrous fall.  I also simply liked taking my time whenever I went hiking in the mountains, literally stopping to smell the wild roses I would see growing alongside the trail.

I also would take a nice long hike in the high country, often tramping for more than four miles/six and a half km at elevations in excess of 9,000 feet/2,700 meters.  I always had a backpack—sometimes heavily laden with food and water, sometimes not—as well as camera gear, which meant taking extra weight along.  Many of the people I mentioned who passed me weren’t so encumbered so they were able to cover ground more quickly than I did. 

Now I’m back in Alabama and my walks are under completely different conditions.  I don’t pack extra weight (my digital camera fits in my pants pocket); the air is thicker and contains more oxygen; the elevation is much, much lower and my hikes are of shorter length.  In other words, walking a Birmingham neighborhood isn’t anywhere near the physical challenge that hiking across Rocky Mountain National Park’s tundra posed.  True, the heat and humidity are greater in Birmingham but they haven’t given me the problems they seem to impose on other residents around here. 

So I keep walking and let my relatives talk and marvel.  None of them has volunteered to join me yet.  Perhaps the walk I took from Smithfield through part of College Hills and down to the mammoth Legion Field football (gridiron) stadium scared them too much and made them think a walk with me would harm them.  That’s too bad because I know I would enjoy their company.  I also have to admit that age plays a big factor in my kinsfolk’s decision to stay on the porch.  Most of them are older than I and don’t have the energy they used to.  Nevertheless, I’ll keep extending the invitation.  If I could get someone to join me on a walk just to the Jewish cemetery, I’d be pleased.

I’m happy that I have successfully transferred this part of my Colorado life to Alabama.  It has certainly done me a lot of good and there’s no reason to change things.  Plus, a walk through a Birmingham neighborhood allows my mind to unwind and take in the surroundings.  Whether I’m looking at an abandoned structure, a seasonally overgrown yard, typical brick and clapboard homes or a proud old church, I get a sense of connection and belonging that is very comforting, making it all worthwhile.