my walk along the highway or why you should always bring a map (life)

I live in a place where people do not spend time out of doors. We walk from subway to building, sometimes eat in parks where there is wildlife like squirrels and rats, and call the suburbs the country. Here, I am the outdoorsy type. I have fleece. I camp. I can tell a bird from a cricket.

Those of you who know me know that I do love the outdoors. You also know the fact that I am more of a prep chef to a head chef when it comes to some of the big hiking stuff. I would not say I have the best sense of direction. I sometimes forget to pay attention to the markers. And, I am not always fully prepared. But, because I normally hike with people who have major outdoor cred (animal trackers, national park passes, major adventurers, etc), my own lack of ability is normally not a problem.

Today, I was in charge. My friend from school wanted to go for a hike and I wanted an excuse to get out of the city. When we found the trail head, we were disappointed that the information center closed on Labor Day. But, at the suggestion of a man that looked like the guy from Right Said Fred, we decided to do a 3 hour loop to a lake. The first part of the walk was great. We constantly chose the path without the people. We were surrounded by trees, the sound of birds, and a stream. We talked to an old man with all sorts of knowledge about the area and told me where I could buy a trail map. Who would have guessed this conversation would foreshadow things to come. We overshot the lake at the end of the trail, looping around and loosing all of the markers for our trail. We found our way out of the woods by following an access road that dumped us out onto the main road. Because I was also without a compass, I had to rely on the positioning of the sun, a guess from a passing cyclist I accosted, and the force to decide which way we had to walk along the highway. After a little more than an hour, we finally found our original trail head and my Honda.

I am now in possession of a map and a book to help make me an informed hiker. Maybe I will join the trail conference the old man talked about so I can start to have more ability to take care of business in the woods. It's time for me to up my own outdoors cred. Learning to find my way in and out of the only semi-local wooded area could do wonders for my ability to survive my time in this city.