With Memorial Day weekend in the rearview, gone too seem to be the brisk early morning temperatures calling for a hooded sweatshirt. Hot and dry conditions have returned, and seem to be the favored forecast into at least early- to mid-June. Might as well embrace it: summer is here.

Last Saturday I awoke early. Rather than the usual mile and a half walk through town, I took the family dog for a longer hike along the south shoreline trail at Pine Lake State Park. Our 8-year old son, Leo, was already up and scrolling his tablet when I left home. Already knowing the answer, I joked to him: “Hey bud. Wanna go for a hike with me and Dobby?” He politely declined.

Yep, our kids have tablets, and they don’t always like going for hikes or doing things outside. Even with two “nature people” for parents, they are creatures of comfort. They sometimes shriek at bugs, get tired and wilt easily in the hot sun, and tend to choose TV and air conditioning over outdoor activities.

I could be bothered about this, but then I remember that I was the same way growing up. My older brother was the outdoors kid who always jumped at the chance to go hunting, trapping, or fishing with our Dad. I, on the other hand, preferred video games, sports, and hanging out with friends all the way into high school. At the age of 14, my career path was pre-determined: I would play point guard in the NBA.

Dobby and I hiked the trail in near-perfect silence, serenaded by a choir of birdsong: Baltimore Oriole, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, House Wren, Indigo Bunting, Cardinal, Yellow Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Red-eyed Vireo, and others. The Merlin app on my phone has me sounding like a true birder. The final act of the spring woodland ephemerals was on display: Wild Geraniums, Virginia Waterleaf, Columbine, and Phlox were still blooming. Clear water gurgled its way down a verdant draw from the east and plunged over the “turtle dam;” a 1930’s Civilian Conservation Corps retaining wall that most visitors to Pine Lake never get to see.

I slowed down and took it all in, just listening and observing. My nose picked up the scent of honeysuckle blooming. A light breeze cooled my skin. I thought about Leo back home and wished he were here with me. But this isn’t the kind of stimulus an 8-year old craves. Somewhere along the journey from being a kid to growing into an adult, we cross a threshold from wanting constant stimuli to often not wanting any at all. As busy grownups who bear a crushing load of demands and responsibilities, sometimes we just want silence, stillness, and calm.

The woods never fail to deliver, in any season – winter, fall, and spring – they all have their own unique qualities. But the forest in early summer is in a class all its own. Before the inevitable attacks from all directions by bacteria, fungi, insects, herbivores, wandering herbicides, and weather, the early season leaves are greener than Oz’s Emerald City. Dappled light still makes its way into the understory and reaches the forest floor, almost reflecting back up and illuminating the canopy layers from beneath. But soon, the leaves will mature and darken in color, the canopy will close in and cut off the light, and the perfect leaves will become blemished by innumerable tiny stressors, both biotic and abiotic.

The dog and I finished our hike and returned home to household chores, yardwork, gardening, 4H projects, and the rest of the rat race. As the next few days went by, the temperatures got hotter, which I do not like. Why can’t it just stay in hooded sweatshirt weather all the time? But I always remind myself, no matter how miserably hot summer gets in Iowa, the early mornings and calm evenings always seem to be worth it.

A few days later after supper one night, Leo asked me to play catch with a football. Heck yes, buddy, I thought. I taught him how to run a flag route, and a post route, and pretty soon his older sister joined us. Leo then taught her how to run flag and post routes as if he’d known it all his life. Emily made her way outside, and we all played and stayed out until it was dark enough to see bats flying overhead. Nighthawks buzzed their short staccato call, and the season’s first lightning bugs emerged. When it was time to go in and get ready for bed, the kids repeatedly asked to stay out longer.

As I grew up through my teenage years, my NBA aspirations faded and my interest in video games and MTV were replaced by other hobbies. Feeling my growing independence, I began spending more time hunting and looking for antlers with my older brother and his buddies. We began cutting firewood and selling it to homeowners and to a local caterer for BBQ smoking. We went to the gun range to get dialed in before hunting season began. Now, I am lucky to still be able to hunt and fish with my Dad, and I cherish it. And I found a career in conservation.

We will keep exposing our kids to nature and the things we love without pressuring them. We trust that when done at the right pace and with love, in due time, they’ll find their way outside for one reason or another.

To my fellow parents and adults who are “going through it” in the rat race: be sure to take some time for yourself. Get away from the stimuli, and get out there and enjoy the calm and the stillness of early summer before it’s gone.

Upcoming Events

Free fishing weekend is June 5-7. Iowa residents can try fishing without buying a license on June 5, 6 and 7 as part of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) free fishing weekend. All other regulations remain in place. Free fishing weekend is a great time to learn how to fish, take your family fishing, or introduce a friend to fishing. Fun, hands-on fishing events will be offered across Iowa to help families new to fishing get started. Find a free fishing weekend event near you on the DNR Outdoor Events in Iowa interactive map.

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Joe Herring has worked as a professional

forester and natural resources manager in central Iowa for 20 years.