Walking Safely in Autumn

Recently on my walks I have encountered a lot of nuts. I hear them behind me sometimes, and I sort of see (after all, I have GA) them in front of me. It is getting perilous out there!

Thus, a page on walking safely.

What? No, I don’t think calling the police would help. My nuts are walnuts, and they are EVERYWHERE.

The dangers of walnuts

I believe at one time this area was an orchard. We have wild cherry trees and walnut trees abound. I can hear the walnuts THUNK on the road behind me, bounce and roll. I sometimes wonder if you could get into Heaven if you died after being hit in the head with a walnut! Would St Peter just think that was too stupid?

Or how about if I stepped on one, went down, and cracked my head? The walnuts are green and blend in with the grass. They have been known to roll under my feet.

Safety tips

My close encounters with nuts of the walnut kind led me to an article on walking and hiking after vision loss.

Avoid surprises

Some suggestions I found online include having a consistent route and learning its features to avoid unfortunate surprises. They suggest something tamer like a mall walk route. Better to avoid the walnuts, my dears. If you are walking on a municipal track, like in a park, they also recommend you figure out who else uses the track. There may be joggers and/or cyclists to be aware of.

Be aware of seasonal changes

To add my own two cents to those, I would also suggest you be aware of any seasonal variations when you are walking outdoors. In the fall, we have walnuts. Boy, do we ever have walnuts! In the winter, we have ice and snow. My route is often populated with cars, cyclists, and the occasional whitetail deer, not to mention other dogs.

At the end of November into December, I need to be aware of hunters in the woods. They are not supposed to fire across a road to bag that fleeing whitetail, but do you always do what you are supposed to do?

Bring a friend (or a dog)

If you can get a friend to go along to be your lookout for hazards, try to do so. The dogs are my early warning system for people and animals, especially other dogs, but they don’t do so well with terrain issues and are horrible about cars. If there is a good smell on the other side of the road, a convoy of tanks can be coming, and they still try to pull me across. Because of that, I make sure I am always listening for traffic. No music or podcasts filling my ears.

Don't forget the basics

Don’t forget the creature comforts, like water and sunscreen. I would suggest bug repellant. I swear the mosquitos around here are becoming carnivorous! Not to mention deer ticks that carry Lyme disease and deer flies that HURT when they bite. Talk about carnivorous.

Most of the rest of the article I read can be summed up as saying don’t go alone. Personally, I just count my girls as people so I do follow that rule... sort of.

Luck and safety

I was a little disappointed they never did cover the problem of walnuts. I guess I just have to wait until they all fall and - literally - get squirreled away. Of course, then it is time for the ice and snow. Sometimes a girl just can’t get a break... unless she falls over a walnut, that is.

Wish me luck and stay safe!