The desert mornings are back, and so is my walk

For most of the summer, my morning walk was a race against the sun. If I wasn’t out the door before six, the heat had already won, and plenty of days I simply stayed in. Then, sometime in late October, the air changed. Now I step outside to the mid-fifties, a sky going from gray to gold, and, if it rained overnight, that clean smell of creosote that anyone who lives here will recognize.

This is my favorite season to walk, and every year I have to ease back into it. Here is what that looks like for me.

I start shorter than I want to

After months of quick, early outings, I don’t head straight for the long loop. The first week I walk twenty minutes, mostly on flat ground, at a pace where I could still hum a hymn. When that feels easy, I add five minutes. Nobody gives out prizes for overdoing it in the first week.

I still carry water

Cooler doesn’t mean humid. The air here stays dry all year, and I notice my lips and throat drying out long before I feel thirsty. A small bottle rides along in my jacket pocket, even on a 60-degree morning.

Sunscreen and a hat, still

The November sun sits lower in the sky, but it is still the Arizona sun. Sunscreen goes on before I leave the house, and the wide-brimmed hat comes out as soon as the light is fully up.

I watch where I step

Desert trails are rocky, and the cool months bring out more walkers, cyclists and dogs. I keep to the trail, give everyone room and keep my eyes on the path. Rattlesnakes slow down when it gets cold, but on a warm afternoon one may still be stretched across the gravel.

And I leave room for quiet

Most mornings I walk with nothing in my ears. I listen for the cactus wrens, watch the light move down the saguaros, and pray a little as I go. Not in long sentences, just a thank-you here and there. By the time I’m home, the coffee tastes better and the day feels like it started on purpose.

It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22–23 (KJV)

If you have been away from walking for a while, start where you are and let the cool mornings do some of the work.

This article is general information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or another qualified professional about your own health.