Wednesday's Walker- Sheila Lamb

Here is another installment of Wednesday’s Walkers!

I have known Sheila Lamb for many years now. We met when we worked together at Lowell Observatory and have kept in touch through talking about writing. She is now living in the Washington, D.C. area, broadly speaking, and is busy teaching and writing. I love how she tells stories of her family. You can check out her writing at her blog:

Blog: Pagans, Saints, and Potatoes

What do you do? What keeps you busy? What is your passion?
I teach, I write.
Twitter keeps me busy so occasionally I have to pull the internet plug :-)
Writing - fiction.


Fill in the blank. I walk because ….
I love to be outside. I run as well. However, walking is the time when I can really appreciate the surroundings. It's a little more meditative than running. I prefer to walk or hike on a trail. But I've taken some fun city walks.


What do you do when you walk?
Let the mind wander. Usually I notice something beautiful in nature - the way the sunlight filters through the branches of a tree, sounds of a stream. This summer I took a few nice hikes along the Appalachian Trail in Virginia. Jockey's Ridge State Park in Nags Head, NC also has a peaceful trail behind the sand dunes.

In a city, I love to people watch. There's always somebody doing something :-) Art walks are fun. So is checking out some historical architecture.


What do you like about walking?
Walking for me is meditative. I relax. I enjoy being right where I am, especially if I'm out on a trail.


Describe a walk where you found something special or something that
made you happy or something surprising.
On various walks in Arizona and in Virginia, I've found shards of artifacts - obsidian points, pottery. Of course, I leave it where I find it (you're not supposed to take that stuff home if you're in a National Park!). It's always amazing that something hundreds of years old turns up right at my feet.



What is your favorite walk?
Too many to count!

In AZ - Forest Service road 141 (I think) near Parks. Goes out past old cabin remains. Another FS trail goes to Keyhole Sink.

In Virginia - the Appalachian Trail near Bears Den, Manassas Battlefield - the Stone Bridge Loop.

In West Virginia to DC - The C&O Canal

Any tips to get people walking? View it as a way to relax to get outdoors for a short time. Go only as far as you want and soon, you'll be walking farther than you ever imagined.


The two photos are Sheila's. One is a shot taken on the Appalachian Trail and the other at Jockey's Ridge State Park in North Carolina (looking over Roanoke Sound).