iNatting / nature hikes while injured / handicapped

I’m with you on the difficulties of getting out when dealing with a disability! Mine limitations are different - I can walk a max of a quarter mile, with many breaks to sit. I also take a very light field kit. And (the gear that makes getting out possible) I have a cane that folds into a seat, so I can sit down whenever I need to.

I hunt out roads that are adjacent to natural areas. I support the local land conservancy that manages a number of small preserves (with parking lots and trails) near where I live. I am also thankful for the number of mountains within ~3 hours drive with roads to the top. They would never be permitted now, but they allow me to access alpine and sub-alpine habitats.

(OTOH, I am seriously annoyed by preserves with trails that meander through overgrown fields and recently cut woods for a half mile before getting to “the good stuff.”)

Instead of hiking for miles and only being interested in the rare/unusual/‘interesting’ stuff (like I used to), I focus on documenting the range of life that can be found close to the car. It’s amazing what can be found.

I’m also getting interested in the developed/natural interface - what are the first invasive plants? the native plants that hang on the longest? what insects can make a living there? not to mention the plants that survive/thrive in our gravel driveway!

“I spent the summer traveling; I got halfway across my back yard.” (Jean Louis Agassiz)

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