Taking The Scenic Route: Finding A New Perspective On The South County Trail

The Road to Recovery

I’m a true lover of nature. I love being outdoors to appreciate the sunshine, flowers, wildlife, and even the rain. As a cancer survivor, I have many stories to tell. However, one of my more favorite memories as a survivor was my first long walk after having major cancer-related surgery. I spent several weeks home recovering when I finally received the okay to increase my activity. I thought I felt strong enough, so I decided to take a walk down my favorite pathway, the South County Trail.

The South County Trail

The trail is about 14 miles and stretches from Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx and ends in Elmsford, in Westchester County (don’t worry, I was only planning to walk about a mile). I can pick up the trail near my home, and I usually jog, powerwalk, or even rollerblade along the course. When exercising on the trail, I’m usually more focused on getting it over with and not paying attention to the nature around me. However, on this day, on my first walk since having surgery, I realized how amazing this trail was.

As I paced myself down the long, quiet path, the rays of sun peered through the bright pink flowers of the Eastern Redbuds that adorned the trail. I inhaled deeply to capture the freshness of the crisp, clean air.

Taking the Scenic Route

To my right, there was a side path leading to a river. I needed to get a closer view. In only a few steps more, I was standing as close to the edge of the river as possible. Several minutes passed as the crisp water crashed into the boulders of the riverbed and raced downstream. It was a peaceful and mesmerizing moment. Why hadn’t I noticed this before? Because I never took the time to do so – until I had to.