Early Thanksgiving morning, before the oven starts to warm, and the holiday preparations begin in earnest, pull on a pair of your coziest sweatpants, twirl a scarf around your neck, and head up to Tilden Park for a peaceful hike up South Park Drive.

Closed every year between November 1. and April 1. in order to encourage and protect the seasonal newt migration, South Park Drive is the perfect spot for a quick — yet moderately strenuous — ramble amidst the sylvan charms of a dew-drenched Tilden. With a low mantle of fog draped from the trees, winding through branches, and muffling the morning sounds, South Park is a hushed refuge, a stripe of asphalt climbing the flank of hillside between Grizzly Peak Blvd. and Wildcat Canyon Road which offers travelers a paved alternative to the muddy terrain of its sister trails.

Park at the bottom, across from the Botanic Garden, and get your heart pumping as you begin your uphill journey. The chilled air is clean and still, icing your cheeks and filling your lungs with the cool pressure of exertion. Fellow travelers, often with dogs sniffing out ahead, dot the road, nodding a brief greeting as they pass and momentarily breaking the shell of solitude. Listen for the long song of an owl, or the skittering of rabbits as they travel through the warren of underbrush. Admire the blush tones of poison oak, and the deep spearmint green of the pine trees. Inhale the menthol tang of eucalyptus and the earthy musk of damp soil. When you reach the top, turn around and point yourself downhill. Cool off as you saunter slowly back down the road, your breath evening out and your pulse slowing to steady. On your return, watch the park start to wake up, a weak sun glowing through the grey and warming the air.

Later in the afternoon, your belly heavy with turkey and your breath perfumed with pumpkin pie, recall your early morning journey and the respite from the ensuing holiday madness it offered. Lie down and stretch out on the couch and let your thoughts flit through the feelings of your trek. Then, conjuring up again the delight and deep sense of calm it cultivated, let go of knee-jerk cares and reflect on all there is to be truly thankful for on this special day.