The New Route Traveled
Sometimes explorers need new routes to get to familiar places.
Dust whirled in the rear view mirror as my vehicle traveled an unfamiliar gravel road. I was headed back from a day of hiking in the Ferne Clyffe back-country. My GPS guided the way and I noticed some roads that I had never been on before.
The expanded view on the screen showed that the road would come out on a side road I knew well. Just last week I come up with the quote above while hiking and thought that I might follow my own advice.
The gravel road was not in the best of shape. Potholes kept me on edge. The road started to curve downhill. I was surprised to see a part of the Shawnee National Forest that I did not know existed.
A horseshoe bluff loomed over a shallow valley. The area was small and the bluffs were not as spectacular as Giant City, but it reminded me that even though I have laced up my boots for many miles of hiking, there were still hidden locations waiting to be explored.
So as I go forward I will look for those back roads not traveled and find out if they can expand my range of exploration.
This article originally appeared on this website on March 18, 2010.
This was originally created during a week which I forced myself to post something everyday. It was a great exercise, but mentally exhausting.