Yeah when amyg29 says paving "covers up the nature part" that's exactly it. I read an article a while back about how paved surfaces actually stop water from getting into the ground and can hurt tree roots along the path. So it's not just about the feel under your feet, it's actively changing the place. They called it "trail hardening" but paving seems like way more than that. It feels like we're picking who gets to visit by making everything smooth and easy. There's gotta be a better balance where we help people get out there without basically building a road through the woods.

Man, that specific burning smell takes me right back to childhood Saturdays. I weirdly prefer it over campfire smoke.

Remember my buddy who kept blowing through boro ashtrays? He was all about the quick kiln shuts until one split so bad it sounded like a gunshot. That chunk was nearly an inch thick in the center. He swore it was a fluke until it happened again on the next heavy piece. That's exactly what @amyg29 is getting at, thickness totally changes the game. Watching him trash those pieces turned me into a slow anneal believer for anything bulky.

Five minutes daily adds up fast (trust me). It's how I finally stuck with something.

Yeah that guilt is so real. I read this article last week about how families often use "selfish" as a control thing when you don't follow their script. It really lined up with what @jessica_owens10 said about setting a boundary not being unkind. The piece called it emotional blackmail, which sounds harsh, but it fits when doing something basic for yourself gets labeled as a bad thing.