American Canyon Trail

I am your average hiker-backpacker. I don't know why it is so appealing to me to live out of a tent and have to walk everywhere — walk up and down the trials to get a view of the world, that I can not see sitting at my desk from work. It just seems like living like a hobo for a few days is a reset button on my soul. Working every day where I have to reason with my boss to give me time off to go to a family member's funeral and many other issues like that just completely wears my soul thin.

We recently went up North to the Sacramento area to visit some family. My brother-in-law, to be specific. He is your mountain man; he is also on the search and rescue crew for that area. A very adventurous individual I would say. I guess my husband and I are somewhat adventurous too, for we like doing the same things, but on a more leisure level.

While we were visiting we decided to tag along on a hike through the American Canyon Trail. The trail we took was 6.6 miles long and would lead us to the beautiful flowing river. This trail I have to say was the most beautiful trail I have been on in a long time. There was plenty of shade, the ground smelled of damp earth, and continuous shades of green. The trail itself was well maintained and groomed well, for even the most amateur of hikers.

The exciting parts of the trail take you on a path in which it zigzags across the river. The trail itself was easy going, with just a few steep inclines, the rest of the way had the trail going in easy rolling up and down hills. I was able to do this trail in my everyday old running shoes. This trail just invites people of all skill levels to come and venture on it. The trail takes you up above the mountain ridgeline where the view of the surrounding valley is so breathtaking. There is a lot of beauty to take in while hiking through this painless trail.

Although, we made it all the way to the river some of the crossings were a bit sketchy at times, with having to jump from rock to rock and walk on a fallen log that felt more like a see-saw than a steady passage. The beauty of nature is that you are never quite completely comfortable the whole time, but you get to reflect on yourself as you are hiking through the peaceful trail.

The trail had a refreshing effect on me. The rush of the fast pace stress of life was slowed down during this hike. The everyday stresses of work and of phone calls, emails, family drama, and social media notifications were all out of service here. The feeling of being engulfed in the trees so thick that you can barely see the sky, but was surrounded by the various shades of green that seemed to glow in the sunlight, and the smell of earth -simply had a complete serene feeling suspended in time here.

This is the moment that I love experiencing whenever I go out into the wilderness. When I am out on a trail, pushing myself past fatigue, and past my emotional wall built high with self-doubt until I reach a moment of inner peace-where I am filled with tranquility and filled with a sense of self-empowerment. Some of the views from the trail take you up past treetops, where you can look down on the river, and see the water glistening in the sunshine, and track the river to where it bends and is lost in the emerald sea of trees.

This trail was really beautiful, and fun, and not difficult at all, if you don't mind pushing yourself to the fine lines of comfort and precarious moments. If I can do it, anyone can.

A View from the Trail