I don't know who thought it was a good idea to schedule construction on both 30th Street and Broadway at the same time, but with two of the major north-south thruways at a standstill, driving in Boulder has sunk from mere purgatory to the ninth circle of hell that's usually reserved only for traitors of the worst kind.

This summer, I watched a pedestrian calmly stroll past me while I was stuck sweltering in traffic, and in the midst of all my half-formed curses came a stroke of genius that I must admit plenty of people have had before me: Why not be that pedestrian?

Indeed, it's only recently that our species has grown away from walking, once the most central of daily activities, and especially in my car, I sometimes wonder why. Is there a way to reinstate walking to its original role, even in our citified existence?

Just as the recently popularized sport of parkour seems to me like urban rock climbing, more and more people I've talked to equate walking to urban hiking.

They say it's the most practical of activities; it's exercise and transportation in one. There is no cost of gas to get to a trailhead and no fancy expensive gear involved.

And by the end, you're not perched atop some wind-flogged mountain; no, you're at the store, back at home, or wherever you needed to go.

Just like hiking, the repetitive motions are a way of centering yourself and appreciating the moment. And if you look with a new set of eyes, much of the scenery of Boulder is just as beautiful as the wilderness.

One of my close friends, Claire Waugh, decided to test this urban-hiking idea out and spent a day walking from one side of Boulder to another. According to her, the north-south trek is about 8 miles and lovely, but her favorite place in all of Boulder isn't on this path. It's the neighborhoods around Arapahoe Road and Eben G. Fine Park.

The architecture is old and well-evolved, the gardens are expertly tended, and large trees overhead feel contemplative, cool, and calming. Nearby, the solid brick back alleys of Pearl Street and the downtown area also give an alluring, San Francisco-esque, polished industrial vibe. Lurking your way through these backways still gets you where you're going, but with new things to look at.

Slightly more on the hiking side of things is the Bobolink trail east of Foothills Parkway, part of Boulder open space.

The intrepid walker can spend hours exploring the connected Cherryvale Open Space, and if this is too far out of town, the 225 bus can shuttle you right from campus (with no 30th Street or Broadway traffic involved!). Take the bus out and walk back in, or traipse these paths in the moonlight for a cheap and creative date.

Walkers all over campus this week should keep one eye out for a series of hiding rubber ducks. These incongruously placed fowl lead to gift certificates for local Boulder stores, part of a scavenger hunt put on by DuckDuck Deal.

DuckDuck is a recently homegrown Boulder company that uses an iPhone and Droid application to publish more than 25 deals a day around town.

This week in particular, from Wednesday through Friday, it will be broadcasting hints to the whereabouts of four ducks each day through various social media: Facebook, Twitter, e-mail, the like. Look for more information on DuckDuck Deal's Facebook page.

Regardless of whether peering through grates and crawling under bushes is your thing, this is the perfect season to walk Boulder (though perhaps, in honor of your lungs, I might wait until the fires cool down).

Aspen leaves are turning yellow, it's neither inhospitably hot nor cold, and the sunlight is just beginning to get that lovely, color-popping, filtered quality of fall.

And the more people that walk, the faster the rest of us can get through Broadway traffic!

Vivian Underhill's "Boulder Frugalista" runs every Tuesday in the Colorado.