Loved this one. I love getting lost. I see so many neat things that you know few people have ever seen because no one goes "off trail." Of course, I am not suggesting breaking regulations that require you to stay on the trails. We live on the edge of a million acre wilderness where being off trail is permitted. And it's my favorite thing.
I didn't get a chance to read this until this morning and laughed at the timing of it. We live in a town that has 3,000 people and is a total of 1,800 acres. By all accounts, it's a very small town. But because we are in a national forest, there are many tucked away wooded areas in town. Yesterday evening, a dog got lose from his collar near our house so I went to help look for him. It was interesting that despite how small our town is, someone can still get lost in it. When you are looking for something or someone, even a small area can become vast. Perhaps it's a good thing to keep in mind when we explore close to home. We always think our home areas are boring because we know them. But there is a very good chance that even in a small town there are areas you've never touched. That is certainly the case for me and I've lived here for decades. My dad grew up here, too, and still tells me stories of his explorations of the area. Now, much of that land is privately owned and it's kind of sad to see the options for exploring shrinking every day. And yet, yesterday's runaway dog reminded me just how much we have left to explore. The world is gigantic. The counties and states we live in are huge. We won't touch by a fraction of them.
Loved this post, just got lost rucking in a county park last weekend, and I wish I had read your post beforehand- lots of heated debate about whether to go back the way we came or climb some hills and see what was on the other side. I got dragged and I should have let go! :)
A great post for sure! I got lost in my own woods in a snowstorm (I love walking in the woods while it's snowing) with my then 9 months old German shepherd pup. O, and did I mention it was still deer hunting season in Maine then too? Myphone died, I was completely disoriented and ally tracks were getting covered up with snow....my pup was the happiest little guy and he helpede focus. I found my way out just fine eventually. Kinda scared at the time but didn't freak out!! 😄
This speaks to the pace of life too. To slow down long enough to get lost and appreciate getting lost—like in the stacks at a library—means one has to prioritize novelty over efficiency (at least some of the time).
An interesting tangent is how our spatial knowledge has declined with iPhones and the like. London taxi drivers famously had larger sizes of the spatial processing part of the brain because they had to memorize the city. I speculate that our ancestors could remember spatial clues much better than we can today.
My husband drives a lot for work, often with the need to find remote sites with little signage. He puts me to shame in spacial awareness/sense of direction, and I’m sure this is why!
Two places spring to mind: Lisbon (our honeymoon many moons ago) is an amazing walking city and if you ditch the map it’s an extraordinary experience. And if you guys get a chance, get lost in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY (and then in Central Park). There are rooms within rooms and angles and more angles and every turn was an exciting reveal.
This reminds me of the middle grade book, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, about two siblings who run away and live in the MET for a period of time. If you have a kid reading MG books, I highly recommend it!
My best friend and I have got lost many times while hiking because we're constantly talking to each other and not paying a lot of attention, especially on the more familiar areas that we usually hike. Some of our best stories and memories are from such times.
Getting lost physically can lead you to discover hidden gems like charming local cafes, beautiful parks, scenic viewpoints, or vibrant neighborhoods you wouldn't have encountered otherwise. It can also provide the opportunity to stumble upon unique street art, interesting architecture, or peaceful nature spots that are off the beaten path. Additionally, getting lost can lead to unexpected encounters with friendly locals or the discovery of cultural events or festivals happening in the area.
Haven't really gotten lost yet, but a friend got me and my wife into playing Pokemon Go (hello scarcity loop) and we have explored more of our city and surrounding area while seeing new places and things from searching out "Stops", "Gyms", "Raids" and whatnot. Hopefully one of these days we'll actually get lost searching for pokemon. I look forward to it.
I really love this post, but I call it “wandering” because then I don’t have think about the task of getting unlost, eventually the path reappears, same for lost things, eventually they wander back, or not… my kids are not stoked on this concept, at all.
Another great post. I love getting lost a bit, especially when rucking. Interestingly, I never really thought about it at the time, but it does add to the fun. Need to teach my kids about this. Thanks.
PS. My dad has a "Cousin Andy." Our whole family called him that my entire life. When I got married my wife said, "why do you can him that? It makes no sense." Some things just are the way they are. Is it a weird Italian thing (dad's whole family are old school Italian)? Now I want to know more about the back story
Loved this one. I love getting lost. I see so many neat things that you know few people have ever seen because no one goes "off trail." Of course, I am not suggesting breaking regulations that require you to stay on the trails. We live on the edge of a million acre wilderness where being off trail is permitted. And it's my favorite thing.
I didn't get a chance to read this until this morning and laughed at the timing of it. We live in a town that has 3,000 people and is a total of 1,800 acres. By all accounts, it's a very small town. But because we are in a national forest, there are many tucked away wooded areas in town. Yesterday evening, a dog got lose from his collar near our house so I went to help look for him. It was interesting that despite how small our town is, someone can still get lost in it. When you are looking for something or someone, even a small area can become vast. Perhaps it's a good thing to keep in mind when we explore close to home. We always think our home areas are boring because we know them. But there is a very good chance that even in a small town there are areas you've never touched. That is certainly the case for me and I've lived here for decades. My dad grew up here, too, and still tells me stories of his explorations of the area. Now, much of that land is privately owned and it's kind of sad to see the options for exploring shrinking every day. And yet, yesterday's runaway dog reminded me just how much we have left to explore. The world is gigantic. The counties and states we live in are huge. We won't touch by a fraction of them.
This is such a great comment. Thanks for sharing!
Loved this post, just got lost rucking in a county park last weekend, and I wish I had read your post beforehand- lots of heated debate about whether to go back the way we came or climb some hills and see what was on the other side. I got dragged and I should have let go! :)
I have been “lost” in Italy for 2 weeks…great place to get lost…
My wife and I didn’t really have any idea what or where we were going…
Thank god for all the Burn The Ships workouts. Lots of stairs!
Love the Rebecca Solnit nod. She's an incredible writer.
She’s great.
A great post for sure! I got lost in my own woods in a snowstorm (I love walking in the woods while it's snowing) with my then 9 months old German shepherd pup. O, and did I mention it was still deer hunting season in Maine then too? Myphone died, I was completely disoriented and ally tracks were getting covered up with snow....my pup was the happiest little guy and he helpede focus. I found my way out just fine eventually. Kinda scared at the time but didn't freak out!! 😄
Lol—this is a great story. I'm glad you didn't freak out!
Great post!
This speaks to the pace of life too. To slow down long enough to get lost and appreciate getting lost—like in the stacks at a library—means one has to prioritize novelty over efficiency (at least some of the time).
Amen! I agree with this so much.
University campuses! You can easily get lost there. And many are really pretty.
Such a good suggestion!
An interesting tangent is how our spatial knowledge has declined with iPhones and the like. London taxi drivers famously had larger sizes of the spatial processing part of the brain because they had to memorize the city. I speculate that our ancestors could remember spatial clues much better than we can today.
My husband drives a lot for work, often with the need to find remote sites with little signage. He puts me to shame in spacial awareness/sense of direction, and I’m sure this is why!
Two places spring to mind: Lisbon (our honeymoon many moons ago) is an amazing walking city and if you ditch the map it’s an extraordinary experience. And if you guys get a chance, get lost in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY (and then in Central Park). There are rooms within rooms and angles and more angles and every turn was an exciting reveal.
I haven't been to Lisbon, but it's on the list. I'll have to hear more.
And I 100 percent agree on the Met and Central Park. Really anywhere in NYC can be fun and surprising.
This reminds me of the middle grade book, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, about two siblings who run away and live in the MET for a period of time. If you have a kid reading MG books, I highly recommend it!
My best friend and I have got lost many times while hiking because we're constantly talking to each other and not paying a lot of attention, especially on the more familiar areas that we usually hike. Some of our best stories and memories are from such times.
Amazing. That’s why Cousin Tanner and I got lost. Haha.
Getting lost physically can lead you to discover hidden gems like charming local cafes, beautiful parks, scenic viewpoints, or vibrant neighborhoods you wouldn't have encountered otherwise. It can also provide the opportunity to stumble upon unique street art, interesting architecture, or peaceful nature spots that are off the beaten path. Additionally, getting lost can lead to unexpected encounters with friendly locals or the discovery of cultural events or festivals happening in the area.
Amen!
Haven't really gotten lost yet, but a friend got me and my wife into playing Pokemon Go (hello scarcity loop) and we have explored more of our city and surrounding area while seeing new places and things from searching out "Stops", "Gyms", "Raids" and whatnot. Hopefully one of these days we'll actually get lost searching for pokemon. I look forward to it.
I really love this post, but I call it “wandering” because then I don’t have think about the task of getting unlost, eventually the path reappears, same for lost things, eventually they wander back, or not… my kids are not stoked on this concept, at all.
Another great post. I love getting lost a bit, especially when rucking. Interestingly, I never really thought about it at the time, but it does add to the fun. Need to teach my kids about this. Thanks.
PS. My dad has a "Cousin Andy." Our whole family called him that my entire life. When I got married my wife said, "why do you can him that? It makes no sense." Some things just are the way they are. Is it a weird Italian thing (dad's whole family are old school Italian)? Now I want to know more about the back story
Great comment.
"Cousin Tanner" was inspired by "Cousin Greg" from Succession (great show if you haven't seen it).