Today’s walk was less “happy nature adventure” and more “documenting the aftermath.”
Part walking route.
Part neighborhood archaeology.
Part emotional support expedition for trees and shrubs.
The Great Landscape Debacle continues.
First stop:
Checking on the eucalyptus tree at the middle school.
Thankfully, the big surviving eucalyptus is still standing. But surrounding it are the empty spaces where several of its siblings used to be. You can still feel the gaps in the shade network walking through there now. The surviving tree almost feels bigger because of it — like the last witness standing after the rest of the grove disappeared.
The giant old-school pine trees (“Aquanet trees”) inside the schoolyard are still holding the line though. Those trees have probably been there since the 1960s and they create an unbelievable amount of shade cover across the campus. You can absolutely tell why the ravens, finches, and mockingbirds prefer them over palm trees.
Big birds pick big trees.
And honestly, after losing so many mature trees lately, every surviving shade tree feels more important than it used to.
Then came the church route.
The final remnants of the “Cheeto Mesquite 6” trimming disaster are still painfully visible.
Those poor mesquite trees got hacked so aggressively they still look like somebody attacked them with hedge trimmers and bad decision-making. Arizona trees are tough survivors, but man… the recovery process is rough to watch.
And then there was Dragon Shrub.
Still devastated.
Sunday: majestic shrub glory.
Today: decapitated landscape casualty.
I know it sounds ridiculous to get emotionally attached to neighborhood plants, but when you walk the same routes over and over, they stop being “just landscaping.” They become landmarks. Companions. Seasonal markers. Shade providers. Tiny pieces of consistency in your day.
The walks become layered with memory.
That’s part of why the Starbucks Carrot Method works for me.
The route matters.
The familiar things matter.
The trees matter.
The birds matter.
The weird cactus colors matter.
The shade matters.
Even the school traffic chaos matters.
Today both the middle school and elementary school were in full end-of-year mode, which means absolute traffic goblin energy everywhere. Parents, buses, kids, crossing guards, chaos, confusion, heat shimmer coming off the pavement — the full suburban obstacle course.
But somehow, underneath all of it, the walk still worked.
I got my movement in.
I got my outside time in.
I documented the aftermath.
I checked on the surviving trees.
I sat under the Aquanet tree afterward and caught the breeze.
Today’s stats:
6,875 steps
2.95 miles
34 zone minutes
Weekly activity goal completed by Tuesday
3 exercise days completed already this week
Walk Receipts
Not every wellness walk has to feel inspirational.
Sometimes it’s enough to just bear witness to your little corner of the world and keep moving through it anyway. 🌲🌵🐦
Still counts.
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Starbucks Carrot Method -North Phoenix Walking Series
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