| Good morning, and happy Sunday. For about a decade I've been talking about "forest bathing"—about the therapeutic power of immersing oneself in the volatile organic compounds given off by trees and other plants. These VOCs are how trees communicate with each other, and it turns out that their scents exert physiological effects on people that can reduce stress, improve blood sugar control, and even boost anti-cancer cell activity. Plus, they smell good. The VOCs in a "forest bath" are a big part of why spending time in nature feels so good, so right. The forest baths I'm able to take in Florida are very different than anything you'll get out West. Some parts are humid, hot, steaming, dank. Rotting, almost. Trees droop. Vines hang from above and graze your cheek if you don't watch for them. It's rich in wildlife, some of which can kill you, hums with insect biomass, and feels alive but also dying at the same time. As if the cycle of life is on 2x speed. But it's not quite tropical. Florda is subtropical, so there's a mix. Probably the largest and oldest trees here are cypresses, which have a unique presence. Huge and ancient wardens. I don't come out of my Florida forest baths with the serenity I get walking through a silent snowy crisp evergreen forest in the high Sierras. It's different. For one, there's a soundbath of birds and bugs and slithering things in the water happening the entire time—it's far from silent. When I leave a hike in Florida, I feel more alive than relaxed. Also more exhausted, probably because you sweat so much. But I love it all. It makes me want to hike all over the world, just to sample the different bathing mediums out there. Tell me, folks, what are your forest baths like where you live? What's it smell like, feel like, and look like to hike through your neck of the woods? Let me know in the comment section of this week's Weekly Link Love. | 