Parks, Trails, and Exploring the Wilds Within

On exploring

“But how do you know what’s up ahead?” asked bird.

“We don’t,” replied bear, “and that’s what makes it so exciting.”

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📷: Pivot II
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When I was growing up, we had a park just beyond our back gate.

Today, we’d probably call it a “green space.”

But back then, it was something more, something wild & untamed.

When you stepped through that gate, you knew anything was possible. And everything was likely.

When it closed behind you, you entered the unknown; where home rules no longer applied.

It was place where the big kids roamed free, and adult eyes were scarce.

It was a launching pad for exploration.

And it was awesome.

Except when it was not.

Bloodied knees, knife fights, and near fires aside, it was mostly awesome.

An endless invitation:

What’s around that next turn?
Under that rock?
Behind that tree?
Inside of me?

I spent a lot of time exploring.

Curiosity. Courage. Quiet places.

This past weekend, the Oregon Timber Trail Association graciously hosted an “Intro to Bikepacking” event.

Together, with a handful of bikepackers, we hit a rails-to-trail route.

At one point, we found ourselves pushing up an old dirt road.

Overgrown and rocky, it narrowed as we climbed higher, and eventually it seemed to peter out.

“Should we go further,” Dan Sharp asked, “and see what’s up ahead?”

And we did. Repeatedly, getting stopped, finding a way, wondering what was just up ahead, just beyond that bush, just over that hill, and pushing on.

Like kids, we really didn’t know what we would find, or what would find us. And that was awesome.

Because when was the last time you truly explored? Where you literally didn’t know what lay ahead?

There’s a special kind of freedom to be found there.

Thank you, Chip Andrus, Dan Sharp, the Oregon Timber Trail Association for making it possible.

Where can you explore your wilds today?