The physical and mental benefits of nature are plentiful. With seemingly endless outdoor recreation options, the Tillamook Coast can be just what the doctor ordered for the whole family.
It’s no secret that being out in nature is good for us. There are some obvious benefits to outdoor recreation. Whether it’s hiking, paddling, strolling on or biking along the beach – it’s all physical exercise that’s good for the body. Which is inherently good for the mind. Washing away stress, sharpening focus, and allowing our often cluttered minds the time and the setting to sort and file the things that are filling our mental inboxes.
For families, getting out in nature affords all of the aforementioned benefits that outdoor recreation reliably delivers. But with the added bonus of potentially strengthening internal bonds in the process. With no screens or other common distractions present, family members can use time on the trail or at the beach to participate in more connected conversations. Nature can also be used as a classroom for everyone in the family. A means of learning about and identifying the flora and fauna of our region. And if you watch and listen long enough, nature has some great life lessons to teach us as well.
A trip to the coast can be a great way for parents to introduce some “sneaky exercise” into the rotation. Pick outings that have an end goal or accomplishment. Seeing the tallest waterfall west of the Willamette Valley at Munson Creek. Or climbing and making it to the top of the dunes at Cape Kiwanda. Getting to stand two miles out in the Pacific Ocean at the end of Cape Lookout. And you could probably count on one hand the number of kids in this world who don’t want to play at the beach!
If you allow me to stand on my soapbox for a moment, I’d like to assert that we are nature, and nature is us. Being out in it is like getting a tuneup for the mind, body, and soul. And allowing the mysterious connections between all three to properly calibrate and bring us back to a baseline that makes us better for ourselves and those around us. What can nature do for you? A better question with a shorter answer might be, what can’t nature do for us?
