The timing of your question encourages my response, because a few months into ER, I am finding that we are spending much time in the forests, some near home, some a couple of hours' drive away. Only a few hours ago, we returned from this week's three-day jaunt to a state forest a few hours away, where we hiked on Tuesday and biked nearly the entire day yesterday. We were in swamp land, on the tops of mountains, and crossed many creeks. When we were done, we sat for a few hours in the late afternoon sun on a lake, where I knit, kept an eye out for the bald eagle I'd seen the day before, and watched the fishermen. Each walk, I saw a multitude of mushrooms sprouting, along with the teaberries in the underbrush. (Ha ha, even in the woods, I am food-oriented.) Each night, we sat for hours in front of our fire, sometimes chatting, but mostly listening to the night sounds of the forest, enjoying the warmth of the fire as the coldness of the night crept up behind us.
A few weeks ago, we did a similar car-camping/biking trip in the Finger Lakes area of NY, and next week we're heading out for 3-4 days of trail riding/camping with a group of friends, leaving from home. Having the time and mobility to make these small trips has added tremendously to my appreciation of life. There's something magical to me, too, in stretching into the time that used to be "work time" -- my sweetie and I were chuckling over how it seems last weekend was just here, and now it's nearly this weekend. The middle of the week, which used to be so measured and demanding, now all but disappears as we are completely engaged in whatever adventures we find. Even I am surprised at how easily we are taking to living so much in the outdoors. I hope you get the chance to go for it!