Walking out of 2023: Nourishing the soul while exploring the shore | Gregg Patterson

It is hard to believe that 2023 is already coming to a close. Now is a good time to reflect on 2023 and make a resolution to focus on exploring our world by foot in 2024.

I am not sure what it is about walking on the beach that speaks to my soul. On these strolls I am taken in by the sights and the sounds of waves crashing on the shore. Or, watching the shore birds and pelicans that bring us back into nature. There is nothing that compares to watching the sun rise or set while on the beach. Sunrises bring a feeling of renewal and new beginnings, and the sunsets bring reflection and a gentle end to the day.

As previously mentioned, walking is where I discovered meaning in life and found out what is important. In my younger days, it never occurred to me that walking would have such a major impact on my life. I always thought that running was the only way to discover new places.

I am a lucky guy! In 2023, we have been fortunate to travel to many places where we were able to explore while trekking to many cool places. Walking has been in our neighborhood, around our city, throughout the U..S, and other locations throughout the world. There is something special about being outside.

While this year did not include a long pilgrimage, just by chance, we found ourselves walking on many beaches. I would love to share some tips and stories about these walks along the shore.

Croatia

It was a thrill to enjoy the beauty while strolling along the promenade on the Adriatic Sea in Split, Croatia. Here you look out at the many islands along the coast. Croatia is an incredibly beautiful place with super friendly people. It's hard to believe this was the site of wars in the early 1990s.

St. Thomas and St. Johns in the U.S. Virgin Islands

“I have a Caribbean soul, I can barely control.” The beaches are beautiful in St. Thomas and St. John. These places provide a perfect opportunity to stroll along the Caribbean Sea. Their shorelines are great for walking but are somewhat short in distance. They do provide spectacular views of the ocean and adjoining islands.

Mexico Beach on the Gulf of Mexico

I love this beach! It is fairly flat, and you can walk for miles going towards Port St Joe. This community is making a good recovery from a direct hit from Hurricane Michael. The beaches are still pristine.

St George Island on the Gulf of Mexico

If you want beautiful white sand beaches, this is the place. To walk on the beach, you sometimes have to find flat walking surfaces at low tide. The slope has started to flatten out after the last few hurricanes. A little under 2 hours from Tallahassee, this is a great place to check out the ocean at sunrise.

Nearby is another island off Florida on the Gulf of Mexico. I am not supposed to mention the name, but here you are “one with the coast.” It is a great place for solitude and stress relief.

Puerto Rico

The beaches in Rincon are great but not the white sand variety. It is still cool to walk in new locations in the islands. Rincon is where our granddaughters learned to surf. Unfortunately, this is where my back started causing problems and it limited my activities.

Costa Rica on the Pacific Ocean

We are headed out to Jaco, Costa Rica, to spend the holidays. We can’t wait to check out walking on the beach in this Central American country. My activities are still limited while recovering from back surgery, but we will find a way to explore by foot and love each day.

Jacksonville Beach

Jacksonville Beach on the Atlantic Ocean is long and flat and this is a nearby favorite of ours. On this beach, you can walk for miles along the Atlantic Ocean. We have found the beaches in St. Augustine, Amelia Island, and Ponte Vedra provide a similar experience. They are just as cool for checking out the ocean and shoreline while walking.

Update on Move Tallahassee

Unfortunately I am sidelined after back surgery but hope to be back on track for the new year. During 2023 our walks were limited in the summer due to the oppressive heat. This year we joined “Walk with a Doc” for one of our treks.

We plan to be partnering with other organizations in 2024. In the upcoming year, we will still walk on numerous greenways and parks throughout our region. It's hard to believe nearly 2,400 people have signed up for email notifications for upcoming walks. We typically have 30-70 people join us for each trek. You can sign up for email notifications at meetup.com and join Move.Tallahassee. There is no charge to join us.

Plans for 2024

We hope to return to England and walk across the country along Hadrian’s Wall. This is an approximately 75-mile trek. In 2018 I was sidelined with abdominal spasms while attempting the nearby Coast-to-Coast trail. This is a great reason to return to finish a trek across England.

I turned 70 this year. Yikes! How did this happen? My wife, Morgan, and I still work full-time but we plan to take more time to explore our world by foot in the upcoming year. We want to go to as many places as possible while we are still able to “keep on keeping on.”

So I urge you to grab a friend, family member, or your four-legged friend, or go solo. Get outside and check out all the cool places on this incredible planet we call Earth; These places may be as close as your own neighborhood.

This year make a resolution to continue to explore your world by foot in 2024. Seize the day!

Love is all you need. Are you in?

Contact Gregg Patterson at greggbpatterson@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Walking into 2024: Nourish the soul with a hike along the shore