A Saunter in the Woods

Yesterday I spent half the day sauntering through the woods, specifically the Portola Redwoods, abundant in banana slugs, mushrooms, newts, and deer. I specifically use the word saunter to describe our adventure, as I recently learned about John Muir's thoughts...

"Do you know the origin of that word 'saunter?' It's a beautiful word. Away back in the Middle Ages people used to go on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and when people in the villages through which they passed asked where they were going, they would reply, "A la sainte terre,' 'To the Holy Land.' And so they became known as sainte-terre-ers or saunterers. Now these mountains are our Holy Land, and we ought to saunter through them reverently, not 'hike' through them."