I got lost in the woods today.
I had some time this afternoon to take a walk in the woods. I needed it. I wanted to get out of the office, to spend some time in the woods praying and thinking and walking. There’s a trail around Harvest Fields (our office) that I could walk in the dark, probably with my eyes closed. But I thought I’d venture off the beaten path and strike out in a direction that I seldom walk. I had about 90 minutes to venture before Annabelle needed to be picked up from after-school basketball.
No problem. At least that’s what I told myself.
Now, it’s no secret that I’m directionally challenged. I’ve documented my deficiency. Once I drove the wrong way on Rte 40 in NC for a couple of hours, taking the wrong way out of a gas station. I have absolutely no innate sense of which way I need to go. It used to bother me; I’d get mad if Kim had to correct me. Now I’ve come to accept my limitations and ask her for directions, sometimes before we even leave the driveway.
My first clue that something was amiss today was when the stream that I came across was running the opposite direction that I thought it should be. That’s not good. As I cleared the top of a little climb and saw the Tussey Mountain lake and picnic pavilion, I knew that I was well off course. If the sun had been around today, I would have been ok. I can get my bearings from the sun. But there was no friendly orb of fire to be seen, and the trees kept me from seeing any familiar hilltops.
Fortunately, my phone is smarter than I am! A little GPS help, some dashing through the woods and slogging through the sloppy wet grounds, and I was back at the truck with just enough time to snag Annabelle.
All in all, I don’t mind being lost in the woods. Everything turned out ok in the end, and I had a chuckle at my own ineptitude. I wish that I was better at navigation, but it is what it is. My walk was a good one, even if I did get myself turned around a little.
Of course, if I hadn’t had a GPS-enabled phone, I might still be out in the woods, trying to find the truck. If I ever go missing, would you be available to help with the Search and Rescue?
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