Routines and Traditions

January 29, 2018
Stockton Creek Preserve Lower Trail
Total distance walked = 3.63 miles

Routines and traditions can occur yearly, monthly, weekly or even daily.

My family—now four generations—has certain traditions at Christmas and other holidays.  Like many families, the foods we eat and the things we do is the same each year.  My religious faith is steeped in tradition too, and my routine is to attend Mass weekly.

Some people make resolutions in January, I like to set goals.  The goals I set for myself include walking daily and hiking monthly.  Last year I achieved those goals and walked 692 miles for the year.

Then there is my habit of hiking each January for the first hike of the year.

The first month of 2018 was almost over and I hadn’t done a first hike of the year.  I didn’t want to break the routine that over the years has become tradition.  So Chris grabbed Ginger and the three of us headed down the road a few miles to the Stockton Creek Preserve in the hills of Mariposa County—the photos posted here.

Over the years I have hiked the first hike of the year with my children, with family members, and with my friends. Now I can add my husband to the list.

A week after Chris and I did the first hike of the year at Stockton Creek Preserve, we went back and did it again.

The Preserve is easily accessible and conveniently located behind the town of Mariposa.  There are several paths to choose from ranging from easy to difficult.  Since I walk daily, I have decided to add the Lower Trail into my walking routine.

I like routine.  Indeed my life runs better when everything has a time and a place.

What kind of routines and traditions do you have?