Since the completion of Triad Park, which was made possible by the collaboration of the local governments of Guilford County and Forsyth County, my wife and I have managed to establish a fairly consistent routine of exercise by walking many of the paths and trails in the park. As soon as the change from EST to DST occurs, and the park extends its operating hours we generally schedule four to five evening jaunts each week to satisfy our peripatetic cravings and to help us trim away the excess baggage we often tend to accumulate from a less active regime during the winter months. While we vary our walking patterns occasionally, we are mostly pragmatic about maintaining a fairly consistent circuit which covers approximately three to three and a half miles–the humid southern climate offers an additional challenge to the more aerobic steep-sloped hills along the course.
Over the years, our evening and weekend cathartics have exposed us to a variety of other enthusiasts who are traversing the park clearly engaged in the pursuit of their own exercise goals and limitations. Runners, joggers, bicyclists, skateboarders, rollerbladers, groups playing volley ball, soccer, horse shoes, fishing, one man on a unique three wheel contraption that is propelled along by a standing rider rocking the front wheel from side to side, and certainly, not least, the cadres of walkers escorted by their four legged friends.
While exercise is the primary reason we try to maintain a regular schedule of walking in the park, we have begun to anticipate seeing and greeting the informal community of park goers that has formed over the years. My wife and I certainly notice when we’ve missed one of the regulars; however, as we have had to alter our schedule from time to time others have also and not surprisingly we bump into the very person we had not seen for some time. Perhaps one of the more delightful regulars we have come to anticipate hailing on our walks in recent years is Cecil.
Cecil is a Johnson American Bulldog, all 125 pounds of him. He prefers cool weather. And just like a big kid at play, he doesn’t ever want to go home. We’ve become fast friends and no matter where we are on our respective paths, if we are in smelling distance we have to stop and say hello to Cecil!
