Some things you do semi consciously. I discovered today that during a lifetime's walks, almost without being aware of it, I had been assessing paths I was walking on against some notional scale measuring the pleasure of simply putting one foot down followed by another. This must have been going on in some corner of the mind waiting to thrust itself into proper consciousness. This scale represents a path's walkability or the treadability. Mostly it's just noticing how good it feels underfoot. Obviously surroundings help but they are independent of the path itself. The perfect footpath has the extra pleasure of seeming to be undesigned a happy accident. Some excellent ones are deer tracks through woods neatly avoiding fallen branches and surfaced with dry leaves. There's a rightness to the amount of compaction as if only carefully placed hooves have been allowed.
The path today is rarely found. It needs conditions not common in this country. After deep snow numerous people have followed an established route keeping only one abreast leaving canyon walls a foot high at least. There was no melting so no ice. The sound of walking was a gentle crunch and the path twisted often around trees.
The bridleway further on was pleasant enough in itself but could not compare beneath the feet.
Walking across untrodden snow appeals to some but here today was very hard work.
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