The little things

[s500yards]

I often find myself blinded by tunnel vision when I'm out and about. (Many of Tom Brown's readings speak of this very handicap.) The destinations, the identification of plants and animals, the particular skill sets to work on, and the tools I have to do it with. All the cool stuff we as a WSS community set out to do with our time. While these are all great things and I certainly wouldn't dream of living without them, I got to thinking about some of the smaller aspects of this lifestyle that can often go unnoticed and or unappreciated. Today I observed a wasp hovering over some loose dirt and it kicked up the earth into this miniature dust storm. It was the coolest thing, and it made me feel like a child again. Children notice those things and it is helping me to remember what the outdoors can really be. I don't want to loose sight of these occurrences ever again.

Is there anything anybody else here has noticed lately that the average joe may walk right past?

 

[Cpl Punishment]

I caught myself watching and following honey bees in my clover and buttercups for nearly 45 minutes about a month back.

 

[pitdog]

I posted a thread a while back about how easily I become distracted when hiking. This is a hypothetical example using some of my pics but I'll be sat having a drink when I'll spot a little guy like this,

By pitdog2010 at 2010-11-17

I'll watch him for a while and follow him till he dissapears under some rock or log and at that point I'll notice some Raccoon tracks,

By pitdog2010 at 2010-11-17

I'll then follow the Raccoon tracks until I lose them in the long grass and then I'll come across something else that takes my attention such as this Quail on her nest,

By pitdog2010 at 2010-11-17

Before you know it you've been out hours and yet only travelled yards. At least you know that during those hours your mind was totally free of urban stresses.

 

[Shotgun]

Yeah I told my friend that it could take me an hour to hike a mile and he said "AN HOUR?" People tend to focus on the destination and not the journey so they just march along and miss everything.

 

[pitdog]

Yeah I told my friend that it could take me an hour to hike a mile and he said "AN HOUR?" People tend to focus on the destination and not the journey so they just march along and miss everything.

So true, I once told a buddy of mine all the flowers we had hiked past that had edible bulbs and he said he hadn't even seen any flowers !!!

 

[Moosez45]

I used to do power hikes, get there get back AQAP. Now, I meander through the woods, never really covering any ground. I like meandering better, its easier on the knees, and I have alot more fun.

Moose

 

[JUST1MOR]

Now, I meander through the woods, never really covering any ground. I like meandering better, its easier on the knees, and I have alot more fun.


I have noticed the older I get, the more "meandering" I do. I have a super fishing spot that is about .8 of a mile from where we park & a good hike thru the woods. Every time my son & I go there, I swear I see more & more things that weren't there on the previous trip. When I stop to look at something, he'll say "C'mon dad, let's go, the fish are getting away". . . Pit's right, outdoor time is precious to be able to get away from all the daily stresses in life.
Be safe.

 

[adaman04]

I used to do power hikes, get there get back AQAP. Now, I meander through the woods, never really covering any ground. I like meandering better, its easier on the knees, and I have alot more fun.

Moose

This. I took the dog on a hike a couple months ago. It was some rocky and hilly terrain and we pushed, but not too hard. Once I was tired, we turned around. When we got back I figured we had gone about 5 miles. Close, 2.1 miles.

 

[Tim the Slugman]

You have to remember to stop & smell the roses !!!!

 

[Jeff H]

Now, I meander through the woods, never really covering any ground. I like meandering better, its easier on the knees, and I have alot more fun.


I have noticed the older I get, the more "meandering" I do.......

What is cool is becoming absorbed in this and that for a while and finally looking up to notice just how far I end up from where I started. I tend to do this when "deer hunting." I pick a spot and stand or sit,.... until daylight and then something a few feet away gets my attention. Then something else a few more feet away...... Eventually, I hear shooting over yonder and realize that I am no longer in a good spot should something that was flushed come past where I was originally posted. I take my camera and get a lot of neat macro shots while waiting, waiting.... Many more pics than deer, obviously.

 

[JGON]

Sometimes you can't see the forest because of all the trees...

I am a younger guy, but I enjoy taking my time in the woods. I am always exploring, going off the beaten path, and allowing my ADD to run rampant. My job, my life, and most things about my daily routine are all about having a high degree of focus... not allowing distractions to get in the way of my goal in order to get the most work done that I can. It's when I go out in the woods that I completely reverse this mind set. I love getting sidetracked in nature, and any and all natural distractions are welcome...

JGON

 

[hollowdweller]

That's an AWESOME quail pic there !!!!

Quail-

I love them. They used to be all over the place when I was a kid but it's probably been 20 years since I saw one.

When I used to live in the city and work at this paint plant when I was in college, I saw and heard them a lot.

The area where the plant was was in "the bottom" which was right along the Kanawha River in Nitro WV. During WW1 there was a gunpowder plant there and after just a huge grassy bottom with a few plants spaced around.

I always loved to see the quail or to lay up on the boxes eating my lunch in the stillness and hear them call.


Then I lived in Fraziers Bottom WV and we had a FEW there.

Now where I live is rural but mostly woodsy and I haven't seen any quail for years.

Lots of turkeys though. Funny. At the time I worked at the plant there really were no turkeys around here. If you would have told somebody you saw a turkey they would have thought you were insane.

I guess with the quail the habitat changed. A lot of the small abandoned farms are now woodland.

 

[unit]

I usually count on my kids to help me see the things that normal (older) people miss. I used a phone to record this discovery of puffball mushrooms with my 9 year old. I have since lost count of how many things we have discovered together that countless others must have walked right past without noticing.

[youtube]22ERqjlIQaI[/youtube]

 

[Mistwalker]

I caught myself watching and following honey bees in my clover and buttercups for nearly 45 minutes about a month back.

I get caught up doing the same thing, I've stalked the bees in the flowers in the fields here with my camera for an hour before. I like watching them gather all that pollen on their legs, it's amazing how much they will collect.

 

[sadiejane]

understood
frequently looking at the ground when hiking.
always on the lookout for artifacts
burnt an hr of daylite finding these fossils
enjoyed every minute of it
just as much as hiking
rarely anywhere i have to get to
its the being there aye?
anyone have any idea what sorta plant made that waffle looking impression???

[/IMG]

 

[Zombie Zeke]

I am right there with you as far as losing site of the little things, its my duty whenever we go out to be, sentry, compass, pathfinder, shelter builder, taskmaster so I keep my eyes on the horizon or my dogs butt (yeah that didn't come out right).

Now, I always take either my little bro (he's 18 and full of wonder, and one of his friends) they find the coolest stuff on the trail that I usually gloss over on accident of course.

 

[OwenM]

Is there anything anybody else here has noticed lately that the average joe may walk right past?

Laid out watching for shooting stars Friday and Saturday night in a field, and then on a dam, both places we intentionally camped near. Had to screw around with mollusks while pumping water from a creek, and a worm snake in the leaves on the trail, examine deadfalls and hollow trees..probably couldn't list all the stuff we found interesting.
Lots of bright yellows, reds, and greens this week, sometimes mixed, sometimes even in a single leaf. Several times we just stopped and looked without speaking. One stream looked like a kaleidoscope, one part almost covered in multicolored leaves that went by in a continuous procession. I guess anyone would have noticed that, but see crappy pic, below.

I enjoy hiking where it's fairly scenic, and besides solitude, am mostly hoping for views and waterfalls. I also watch bees, wasps, butterflies, stop for pics of turtles, frogs, snakes, follow water upstream just to see how it cascades over the rocks, and how the rocks have taken shape as a result, though.
I know people who seem only interested in making camp and building a fire, and have even passed by camps(in wilderness areas, no less!) where people were kicked back listening to radios-with external speakers, too They are missing out.

 

[Angus McGunnigl]

I noticed that my "style" really began to change after my sons started exploring the outdoors w/ me. I was forced to slow down due to thier short legs, but even more I think it was thier curiosity.
They stopped to look at things and ask me questions. I was forced (thankfully)to re-discover alot of things.

Enjoy it much more now. No more speed-racer hiking.

 

[audiopile]

You just can't beat a walk with kids and/or a dog. As so many have already reported - you'll see/hear and maybe even smell ( dog applied perfume of the roll on it variety) so much that would miss our old eyes and deaf noses.

 

[fujita yuji]

I truly agree with the O.P., s500yards.
Love those small things and details, too.

Here's a chestnut bug. I've found this guy while making a chestnut candies.