Lens-Artists Challenge #267 – Recharge

• Egidio Leitao
Officers Gulch trail and lake
Officers Gulch (Frisco, Colorado)

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
Albert Einstein

Before retiring, whenever pressure and stress were building at work, I used to tell my boss that I needed to recharge my batteries. He knew that a few days immersed in nature would do the trick for me. Being surrounded by nature was and still is the way for me to recharge my human “batteries.”

There is a growing body of research that suggests that spending time in nature has a number of benefits for mental health. Here are some of those benefits: reduced stress and anxiety, improved mood, increased self-esteem, reduced symptoms of depression, improved cognitive functions, and increased creativity.

It doesn’t take much for me to disconnect from the fast pace of day-to-day life. I can be in town or traveling to another location and find my oasis in nature. Here are some ways I recharge my batteries.

I can be kayaking or biking in a city, county, or state park and feel connected to nature.
Once, I was even able to meditate while kayaking!

Kayaking Mountain biking

It is in the wild places, where the edge of the earth meets the corners of the sky,
the human spirit is fed.
Art Wolfe

Probably, a better example of what I get out of recharging my batteries in nature is exemplified by our most recent trip to Colorado. Besides enjoying cooler temperatures at a higher elevation, we really connected with nature on our hikes in Summit County, mainly around Silverthorne, Dillon, Frisco, and Breckenridge.

Hiking on the Willowbrook Loop or the North Tenmile trail,
we marveled at how insignificant humans can be under the giant forest canopy.
Still, we were able to appreciate the small things, too,
and see nature recharging itself with new growth.

Willowbrook loop= Small pine North Tenmile Creek trail

I do not think there is anything more relaxing than the sound of a babbling stream
or cascading waters. Water can be soothing for the eyes and mind.

Creek in the Willowbrook Loop= Sawmill Reservoir trail

Wildlife, big and small, can be safely observed from a distance,
or they may feel comfortable enough to come near to you,
such as a Weidmeyer’s Admiral butterfly and the Mallard duck family.

Moose Weidmeyer's Admiral butterfly Mallard duck family approaching me Mallard duck family

Love is like wildflowers; It’s often found in the most unlikely places.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

I can discover hidden worlds through macro photography and literally smell the roses and flowers.

Columbine flowers Rocky Mountain Penstemon Wasp on a mountain rose

Those are a few of my examples of recharging when I connect with nature. What is your go-to activity (or activities) that allows you to recharge your batteries? Is it in nature or in the city, alone or with friends and family, reading a book? If you decide to join in this challenge, please link to this post and use the Lens-Artists tag so we can find your recharge images.

Thanks to Donna for last week’s Time challenge on her Wind Kisses blog. We enjoyed your many different interpretations of time. We hope you’ll join me for this week’s challenge. Please remember to link to my post, and to use the Lens-Artists tag to appear in our Reader section. Finally, Tina will lead us next week on her Travels and Trifles blog. So, be sure to check her post next Saturday at noon, EST. If you want to know more about the Lens-Artists Challenge, please click here.

Many thanks to the Lens-Artists team for inviting me to be a guest host for this week’s challenge. It was an honor. Your kind words warm my heart and your photos never fail to inspire me.

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131 thoughts on “Lens-Artists Challenge #267 – Recharge”

  1. A wonderful topic, Egídio. A perfect follow up (at least on my side) to the two previous posts for LAPC.
    I love, what you selected. Peaceful and really recharging views! thanks

  4. Your connection to nature and ability to put it into words is a gift, Egidio. Thank you for sharing your carefully observed surroundings. I look forward to the challenge, and to see how others recharge their lives too. The moose was a great capture and I wonder if she surprised you? The simplicity of the sapling growing be the mature tree – Symbolic of life. Thank you for joining us. I have company on the way and will revisit you in a day or so…

  6. Awesome scenes Egidio ?! Meditating while Kayaking – wow! Great topic – how do we recharge! Let me see what I can come up with ?

  9. Johanna, thank you for your compliment. Oh, how I envy you now for being at Algarve. We have fond memories of Portugal and that region. We stayed in Albufeira for a few days.

  10. Donna, I appreciate your kind words and the whole LAC team for this invitation. Enjoy your friends/family’s company. I’ll look forward to your contribution to this week’s theme when you are free.

  12. PR, it was nice of you to visit and write this complimentary note. Yes, it was a tranquil day and hardly any wind. I just lay back and meditated. I look forward to seeing your photos and how you recharge.

  14. I have a good friend arriving to Albufeira today. He will likely be disappointed to arrive to rain. Some of us were dancing in the streets! Back to sunshine tomorrow.

  19. Your choice of nature is a wonderful challenge Egidio. And, your examples are beautiful. You’ll have fun reading the varied responses you get. Mine will be along tomorrow. Thank you for guest hosting.

  24. Such beautiful images. I too find I need nature to recharge. When we lived in Colorado, the Dillon/Frisco area was one of our favorite places to escape to. Sounds like you had a wonderful trip to CO.

  26. Ingrid, thanks for stopping by and taking time to write. This year was our second time to that area. We love it there because of the elevation — and how wonderful the temperature is compared to the triple digits we had here. We are heading back to Colorado this coming week to check out some fall foliage. This time, we’ll be in the Crested Butte area.

  28. Out in the wilds, among trees, water, wildlife and flowers. What could be better? This is a real catalogue of all the things that suddenly make life worth living when we’re under stress. A great collection of photos to illustrate the recharging possibilities of Nature.

  30. Beautiful post and all lovely images of your missions to recharge. Those of us who can get out into nature are very fortunate indeed. Thanks for setting the challenge.

  31. Hi Egidio
    thanks for sharing your pictures.
    We agree, nature is the best recharging point.
    All the best
    The Fab Four of Cley
    🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

  32. A lovely selection of nature photos, Egídio. I totally agree with you that the best way to appreciate the beauty of our world and recharge our energy is to take time to be in nature. Your top photo is wonderful!

  34. We are on our journey across the southern U.S. for the month, and we happened to spend some time recently in Colorado. It is truly a beautiful state, and there are so many opportunities to recharge in natural surroundings. Great theme choice, Egidio!

  35. Ahh lovely post and photos, Egídio! My eyes are also refreshed seeing the tall pine trees and the wonderful new growth in your photos. Great theme, too, my brain’s working thinking which photo(s) I would want to include for the theme ?

  36. Egidio, this is such a marvelous post I don’t know where to start! I love the message and agree wholeheartedly. It’s amazing how deeply the peace and serenity of nature affects our state of mind and our energy. Your images are absolutely beautiful and convey your thoughts perfectly. Thank you so much for leading us with your truly inspirational post.

  39. Margaret, you have touched on several things that matter to make our lives better. Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts here, too. I appreciated your feedback.

  40. James, indeed we need to be thankful for having nature and being able to immerse ourselves into beautiful and natural places. Thanks for the compliment and feedback.

  43. Thanks for the feedback. I wanted to give readers a chance to connect and find out what helped them recharge. I think that might explain the various scenes I shared. Thanks, again. I will now check your post.

  44. John, thank you very much for oyur encouraging words. I’m happy that you have spent some time in Colorado. we are headed there again in a couple of days in hopes to see some fall foliage.and colors. Enjoy your trips!

  45. Yanti, thank you kindly for your feedback and compliment. I’m happy that my photos resonate with you. I look forward to seeing what you enjoy doing to help you recharge.

  46. Tina, it means the world to me to read your words and see how much you also enjoy nature. It shows in your photos. I can hardly wait to see your take on the theme. Thanks again for everything.

  49. Great shots Egidio and couldn’t agree with you more on the relaxing ways of nature, especially water flowing down a cascading streams. Well done!

  54. It’s satisfying to know that our species is a natural one and that we have so much in common with the rest of the Tree of Life. I’m sure so many bloggers will agree with you completely that Nature is the best place to Recharge. Last night, I did an activity that I find energizing that wasn’t in Nature, but for the benefit of the planet…Dance Planet. Dancing is hard to do and photograph at the same time, though! 😉

  55. Oh, Crested Butte is one of our favorites. If you’re a coffee drinker, be sure and try “Camp Four Coffee”. We were first introduced to it at “McGills” at breakfast. Lake Irwin and Kebler Pass might offer photogenic scenery – lots of Aspens.. (silly me, everything is photogenic in Crested Butte). Take a drive up Washington Gulch Road or Slate River Road or drive up to Gothic. You won’t be disappointed.

  56. Ingrid, thanks for those tips. I am a coffee drinker. I’ve made a note of all of them. We are meeting two friends who used to live in Gunnison and are familiar with that area.I’m hoping we get to see some colors. Thanks again for the suggestions.

  57. Beautiful photo selections, Egidio! Love this theme! I agree, nature is the way to go. Inspiring, indeed!
    The moose is a cool capture.

  63. I’ll share my way to recharge during the week. I have the images ready in my mind, but they haven’t been put into visuals just yet. Thank you for selecting this theme; it may show that we are all quite diverse, or perhaps, not…

  96. I really liked your first picture, Egidio. Nice combination of clouds, reflections, mountains, and green plants. I also liked all your pictures of beautiful wildflowers.

  97. Thanks so much for the compliment. It’s hard to miss beauty in Colorado. As I type this, we are on our way back there. This time it’s for fall foliage.

  114. Hi. I wonder if the post was removed. When I click your link, i get an error message saying the page was not found.
    Thanks for your kind words about the challenge. I hope to be able to see your post, too.

  125. Congratulations on being the host of the most popular Lens-Artists Challenge.
    Fantastic theme and great examples.
    Recharge and Nature, without doubt, go together and you so beautifully presented your images.
    Every image conveys the message that just watching nature and also being with nature, gives us the much needed rejuvenation.
    Thank you Egídio Leitão
    Mr.Philo

  131. Just wonderful – your photography never fails to impress and stand out. We both love nature, and you capture it elegantly.

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