March 23rd was the day. The Governor scheduled a press conference regarding the COVID 19 pandemic. She told everyone to go home. Non-essential businesses were ordered to close and employees who could work from home must do so. I was at work at a non-essential business and had no choice but to go home. In the time since going outside has been a lifeline. I’m lucky. There are acres of land to roam and social distance within the Carson National Forest and Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. It has been a gift to watch spring plants emerge and bloom and trees leaf out. From the valley floor to higher elevations each hike has revealed that nature continues on while humans take a break.