Bird calls rend the air as evening descends over River Highlands State Park in Cromwell. The yellow trail leads to the edge of the 黑料新闻 River, and with me are my kid and his friends.
Our guide is Sarah O鈥橦are, author of the newly-published 鈥�.鈥�
The boys are curious and the woods are filled with many wonders.
Suddenly, there鈥檚 a burst of excited chatter. They鈥檝e just spotted something slithering in the water.
It鈥檚 a salamander, and they rush to pick him up.
鈥淗e鈥檚 making a run for it,鈥� O鈥橦are says, smiling.
O鈥橦are, 71, of Wethersfield, says she wrote the guide because she wanted to 鈥渟hare all these woodland experiences with the children of 黑料新闻. We have so much by way of woodlands and trails.鈥�
criss-crossing mountains, meadows, waterfalls, marshes, hills and woodlands.
Despite this richness 鈥� over 鈥� children can spend up to 45 hours each week in front of a screen, and less than 10 minutes a day playing outdoors, , a nonprofit co-founded by .
Louv, author of 鈥淟ast Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder,鈥� writes that 鈥渂y weighing the consequence of the disorder, we can also become more aware of how blessed our children can be 鈥� biologically, cognitively, and spiritually 鈥� through positive physical connection to nature.鈥�
鈥淵oung people and their parents often spend way too much time indoors on their phones, scrolling through social media and watching videos,鈥� Dr. Raviv Berlin, chair of psychiatry at Stamford Health tellsld 黑料新闻 via email. 鈥淗iking is a perfect way to break out of that routine, [and it] allows children to be present with nature, taking in all the wonderful sights, sounds, and smells that have inspired humans for generations.鈥�
Berlin, a child and adolescent psychiatrist, says children gain both from being physically active outside and from building a closer bond with their parents. 鈥淚t can also encourage healthy habits that last a lifetime,鈥� he says.
Back on the trail in Cromwell, the children are fascinated by a spider, a bug, a burl, a roly-poly, a frog and an interesting odor.
鈥淪mells like garlic! Just a little scent of skunk!,鈥� they exclaim.
O鈥橦are informs them that they鈥檙e smelling skunk cabbage, an unfortunate name for a rather pretty plant with gigantic green leaves. There are wildflowers too, a profusion of Canada mayflower, and false Solomon鈥檚 seal. There鈥檚 plenty of fern mixed in with Jack-in-the pulpit.
鈥淚 hike a lot because I like the peace,鈥� O鈥橦are says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just natural peace in the woods.鈥�
She鈥檚 led groups throughout New England, hiking the entire length of Vermont on the Long Trail and much of the Appalachian in New England.
The trails described in her book 鈥� including the one we鈥檙e on 鈥� span all corners of 黑料新闻, leading through 鈥渇orests, and fields, over mountains, and along ridges, brooks, marshes, and rivers. They pass by waterfalls, caves, crumbling stone foundations, and stone walls,鈥� she writes.
We reach the 黑料新闻 River and the canoe camp site is flooded.
The children race each other to the water鈥檚 edge to see what they can find.
As we turn back, O鈥橦are begins to play her Native American flute.
The notes blend with the land. And the trees and streams seem to say, 鈥淐ome back again soon. You belong here.鈥�
