I must have blinked too long… At some point last week it was 90 degrees and then the next day I had to unpack my onesie, make hot cocoa and refuse to move from the couch! Ok, that’s like most Saturday nights for me I admit, but this time there is a legitimate reason! That’s right my fellow woodland creatures, Fall has arrived!  If you are a Bear like me, this is our season!  We are at maximum cuddle-abilty, our beards make more sense now, and our wardrobes can be as comfy as we are! The problem every year is that the transition is abrupt.  What is a Bear to do?  Let me tell you a little story of how I learned to embrace the Fall!

My friend is annoyingly active and athletic, I honestly have no idea how we connected but alas we have bonded.  This bond comes with certain understandings.  I can help him understand the virtues of lazy Sundays and the true deliciousness that is carbs and he convinces me that sometimes I should leave my den and venture out into nature.  It is, after all, a Bear’s natural habitat.  So, after much prodding and the materialization of his favorite book on “AMAZING” hikes in the Northwest, I laced up my best tennis shoes, grabbed my water and we hit the road to natureville!

Me on the right with my annoyingly active friend!

It was a bit of a trek to where we were heading, a mere 30 minutes from my base camp of home. So as I got lost in the blaring of Pink’s new album (she is seriously my spirit animal), my friend extolled the virtues of hiking.  Apparently you can hike in every season, there are all levels of hikes (although I don’t believe that sedentary is a level available) and there was more, but I can only take so much talk of exercise before I tune it out.  

We made it, beautiful Coeur d’Alene, ID to the entrance to Mineral Ridge Loop. As we walk up to the very large sign before we begin our hike I see it scream 3.3 miles. I’m sorry, does that include part of our drive time? To my utter despair, the answer is no and more than half of it is UP HILL! I give my friend the look, the glare that says everything and nothing at the same time.  Et tu Brute?  And we ascend.

I won’t lie, the hike was both beautiful and a bit of work for a big guy like me. We discovered old partial caves where miners hoped to strike it rich and chased cute little chipmunks just trying to get a hug and then we reached the top.  As I stood overlooking breathtaking Lake Coeur d’Alene I had two thoughts, I was alive (there were moments I was pretty sure he would need to leave me for dead!) and the second thought, I WAS ALIVE! So this is what all the fuss is about?! I get it, nature is actually pretty amazing.  We just stood there with the stillness around us and took it in.  The trees were technicolored paintings, the silence was a symphony and I stood there with my best friend and just felt life.

The trek down was filled with laughter and chatting and more chasing of chipmunks (I was determined to hug one).  We topped off the productive day with frozen yogurt because how else would I replace all those calories I burned? As we got back to my cave, we filled mugs with hot chocolate, lit the fire and collapsed on the couch for more laughter.  I had earned this.   

Mmmmm froyo

Like an episode of South Park, I learned something that day.  I tend to dread this time of year, the nights are darker, the cold seeps into my bones and I just want to hibernate until it is over, but maybe I just needed a change of perspective.  In one day I was surrounded with love and laughter and beauty, I turned a season I think of as drab and dreary into the warmest day of the year.

This is OUR season, Bear Season! Get out your flannel, your big sweaters, those hoodie sweatshirts! Groom that beard and make that cocoa! This is a time we get to shine! Don’t hide your bulky beauty this year, let the people adore you!  Maybe this season has more to offer than I thought and maybe, just maybe I won’t just survive Fall and Winter but I’ll thrive! It truly is all in your perspective!