Striking Off for the Great Unknown
Striking Off for the Great Unknown
Or at least getting a little lost in nature
I found myself standing at the edge of the path as I considered that “alternate path” that involved scrambling up a 1-meter ledge (yeah, I’m being worldly here.)
I have never been afraid of getting off the beaten path. I’ll take scrapes and bruises to see something new and interesting.
The answer was obvious…
From the elevated height, I could see that the new path was going to reap immediate rewards. The creek that the “boring path” was turning away from had a waterfall trickling into it not far away. A shady respite from the heat of the sun.
I’ll admit, I was feeling lazy, I didn’t feel like taking off my socks and shoes. So I stayed on the new path that immediately ducked under a fallen tree.
It felt like I’d left the world behind.
There were a lot more trees in this direction, meaning I was weaving down a curvy trail as I kept the creek to my left. All I could hear was the babbling water next to me and the occasional propeller plane overhead.
The density of the trees, the immediacy of the creek, and the nature sounds were all surrounding me. It felt nice to be away from a screen and unable to hear the cars whizzing down the road, surprisingly close by.
My trail looked like it’d been maintained by the occasional deer or elk. It was definitely not the managed by humans.
It felt like there was a chance I could end up having to backtrack, a safe egress did not feel assured.
Disconnected but not Silent
Often I’ll go on a walk with headphones in, or if I’m really just pushing myself to move, with a screen in my hand to keep my active brain distracted from boredom. Walking on a sidewalk is boring.
I didn’t have the option to look at a screen this time, as I had to be deliberate in each step forward.
As I continued along the path, with nothing to distract me, my mind got to thinking…
I spend so much time looking for the path already created by someone else.
When trying to figure out my next step, I find it easy to be irritated by inconveniences.
If the objective isn’t clear, it’s not uncommon for me to not even head down an unknown path.
I’m not talking about this trail, I’m talking about my path through life.
I was marveling that this childlike wonder that kept me moving along my this soggy, grassy path next to a creek is missing from so much of “life.”
People get caught up in the rat race, chasing tangible things, building wealth, paying taxes and getting the latest smartphone. The world is being cut into pieces and handed to us in sealed boxes as we move along. There is a lot of “fun” taken out of life, with “amusing” or “distracting” being presented in its stead.
I traveled along this creek for at least 20 minutes, stopping to take pictures or stare at its beauty. I didn’t feel rushed to get anywhere.
I’ve always loved camping, but anymore, you need to schedule a camping site months in advance to be able to set a tent up 15 feet from another tent. The nearby trails are then filled with other humans, albeit fans of nature, but still… people.
Needless to say, I do less camping than I’d like. Hiking or even short walks are the best I can do most of the time.
Nature is often closer than think
This little slice of nature is 10 minutes of city driving from my house. If not for the trees, you’d see a major city street in one direction, a row of houses in another, and the county fairgrounds in yet another.
I walked over to this park from the fairgrounds, where the farmer’s market was in full activity.
I’ve been to this park countless times, often with my wife and sometimes with kids or a dog. We will typically wander off the paved path, but that would just be to get onto a wide gravel path that’s only slightly more ‘natury.’
One little turn off of that took me to the kind of place I’d explore for hours as a kid. Even when the city was nearby, there was so much packed into every step in this path that it could take all afternoon to move a half a mile.
I forget that there are places with more natural feeling nature nearby. I am lucky in this.
As I got back over to where I knew I’d find the paved path, I got one last bit of excitement.
Another scramble to get out of here. (I was kind of hoping I’d have to use the log, but I didn’t)
As I climbed up that last hill, there was a couple walking along the paved path 15 feet in front of me. They looked so boring, so civil. They didn’t know what true adventure was like.
I feel grateful that I can go spend an hour in nature, almost completely undisturbed by other humans.
I feel blessed that I could drive for 40 minutes and get to a proper path that takes me into mountains.
And I feel embarrassed that I’m not doing that every other day.
C’est La Vie