Walk in the woods

For three years, I have been on the board of a non-profit focused on helping women in the outdoor industries succeed in their careers. I am honored to be part of this board; it is filled with the most amazing women (and now one man). We recently rearranged the schedule of our board meetings, which meant another retreat, this time in Bend, OR.

After landing in Portland, I drove with my fellow board member, Heather, to Bend. We chatted the entire 4-hour trip while she drove and I gawked at the scenery — mountains and trees and canyons, oh my! Our accommodations were at a resort just outside of Bend, nestled in the in the valley below the ski hills.

Our agenda was packed with all-day meetings, so I started each day with a walk in the woods. Each day, I tried a new trail. It wasn’t until day 3 that I got lost. The woods were filled by the biggest pine trees I’ve ever seen and, after a while, they all start to look alike. A multitude of trails criss-crossed through the woods and, reminiscent of Children of the Corn, any trail marker I saw said the same thing: “Jogging Trail, 2 miles”, with no indication where it began or ended.

At first I wasn’t worried. I meandered around on sand trails through the forest, staying on what I thought was the main trail. It was beautiful and peaceful; a lovely way to start the day. But after a while, when I figured I should be getting close to the condos, I started to get concerned that I didn’t recognize anything familiar and couldn’t see any buildings.

From an orienteering course, I learned the concept of a backstop — referring to a feature such as a river or cliff or road, which could give you a bearing on where you are relative to where you want to be. I employed this technique — with limited success — by noting hydro lines and the sounds of cars on what I figured was the main highway.

You would have thought that my November experience would have taught me to be more prepared when I head into the woods. Thinking I was staying on the resort property and that there would be some directional signs, I went off with absolutely nothing! Well, almost nothing; I had my watch — which told me that I was going to be late for my meetings — and my cell phone — which I refused to use, because I didn’t want to be known as one of those people who goes into the woods unprepared.

As it turns out, I ended up making a very large circle before I found myself crossing over a path that I had been on before. Very relieved, I jogged back to the condo for a quick shower. My walkabout took about half an hour longer than I had planned, but I managed to arrive at my meeting only a few minutes late. Of course, I had to explain why I was late, and have now earned a certain reputation.

The next time I go for a walk in the woods, I will be prepared — really!