One way to show your love of the outdoors is to pay attention to rules and guidelines set in place for outdoor areas. This photo was taken at the Tumalo Cooperative Closure near Tumalo Reservoir.

With Valentine’s Day earlier this week and so much sunshine brightening these February days, some people are feeling the love. If not, that’s OK, too. But love is an infinite resource, and unlike pieces of a pie that get doled out until they’re gone, there is no limit to how much love a person can share. In fact, the more you give sometimes, the more love fills you up!

Below are some tips for how you can share the love outdoors.

Spread the love on trails

The warm, dry winter means that many places aren’t getting that seasonal respite from visitors. Recreation areas are busy, which makes it even more important for everyone to be respectful.

It can be easy to become cynical or to think that one person’s small actions don’t impact much. But every person’s actions and attitudes matter.

A brief interaction with a friend or even a stranger can profoundly impact their day. Recall a time when a simple smile or kind word lifted your mood. Or consider the butterfly effect, which posits that even small actions affect much larger circumstances as the impact of that initial action ripples out in the world. No one can know where that ripple might go.

It may reach someone who needs that extra positivity in their life just at that moment amidst a hard day. You never know when someone or something might need that extra dose of love and care.

Show some love for wildlife

This time of the year, there are many wildlife closures in effect. It’s important to check maps and land managers’ websites when planning an outing and read sign boards when arriving at a recreation area.

Smith Rock, which is a state park, has climbing closures to protect golden eagle nests. Cline Butte and Maston areas, which are BLM land, have closures for raptors as well.

There are several seasonal road closures to protect migrating wildlife such as mule deer. Motor vehicles are prohibited in the closures to limit disturbance to animals until March 31. This timeframe includes when many deer will have their fawns. Disturbance from motorized use or even from dogs off leash in these areas could spook a doe, leaving her young alone and exposed. The Tumalo Wildlife Cooperative Closure affects the roads that access climbing areas such as the Widgi Boulders, Power Lines and Tick Ranch. The closure also affects trail access along Forest Service Road 4606 which extends from Skyliners Road to Tumalo Reservoir and then all the way to Sisters.

Trail love

Cold nights and warm days mean the ground is going through many freeze-thaw cycles. Once the ground warms up, trails can become soft and muddy. Riding through the mud creates ruts in the trail which then harden or freeze. The uneven tread doesn’t fix itself easily, which can make riding, running or hiking on the trail more difficult or just annoying. If your tires or shoes are sinking in, leaving deep imprints, turn back to find a drier trail or call it a day. If there are puddles or mud you are unwilling to go through, don’t go around them. Turn back and return another time. Repeatedly going around wet spots widens the trail, which makes riding and running single track less fun, and also impacts the vegetation growing along the side of the trails.

At this time of the year, it may not look like much grows in some places, but flowers and grasses could emerge in the spring. Vegetation along trails not only makes them more beautiful but is also part of the ecological function of an area. It may provide food for animals or may be a threatened or endangered plant species so by staying on the path, the grass or flowers won’t get trampled to death.

Default to love for others

If you’re out on the trails or climbing in Central Oregon, take a deep breath of fresh air, observe your surroundings and find peace. And when you encounter others, default to love.

It’s OK if the idea of loving a stranger or even a friend is too much to handle: In that case, try to default to patience and understanding. If someone seems rude or ignorant, maybe they need that extra dose of love or patience, and by showing them that kindness, you begin a small ripple that could expand to unimaginable lengths out in the world.