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                   Maine Woodswomen Outdoors 

                                Powers of Observation              

Appreciating where we are and what is happening around us is something we often take for granted.  This month we will reflect on why we like the outdoors and turn our focus on how to observe more while we are out there.  Here are some of the responses I heard from folks answering the question “Why do I like the outdoors?”.  I like the outdoors because it is a constant source of wonder; it gives me a chance to truly relax; I have happy memories from good times with friends and family and I have really cool experiences watching the wildlife such as eagles and moose.   

Hopefully you have a small notebook and have had a chance to get out this past month to think about why you like the outdoors.  Take a look at your notepad, did you have trouble finding things to write down?  Maybe you heard a little bird but wasn’t sure what it was, it seemed insignificant.  Or perhaps there just wasn’t much to see.  That is OK, you took the first step and tried.  Now, if you did have success and have some neat stuff written down that is great, keep it up.  Let us take all of this just a step further.   

In the Voyages of Dr. Dolittle, Polynesia, the African gray parrot is talking to Tommy Stubbins, “Are you a good noticer?” the parrot asks.  She continues with their conversation about Tommy’s interest in following the Dr’s footsteps to becoming a naturalist, “powers of observation, noticing the small things……”   Let’s try it, put yourself in this picture. 

Story ~   You have just hiked a half hour into the woods to a remote pond inhabited only by wildlife.  There is no human  within a half mile from where you sit on a rock, prominently exposed from the waters of this pond.  It is morning.  The sun is still rising in the east, it warms your face as the rays dance across the rippled waters.  From the northwest the breeze blows gently, sweeping down from the tops of the pine trees and ruffling the surface of the pond where the sun scatters, twinkling in all directions.  The breeze envelops and comforts you.  Little birds are feeding, calling and chirping.   Across the water a thrush sings it’s sweet melody from within the evergreens.  It’s voice bubbles out of the tiny body covered in feathers, perched upon the twig, beak open toward the sky.  Each note softly glides down like a lost feather among the branches, picked up and carried upon the wind until it floats out from under the bows and across the pond to wrap itself around you, gathering up your spirits and lifts them into the sky to dance away with the sunshine for at least a few moments. 

Are you there in this picture, sitting on the rock?  Now answer these questions from the story.  Which direction are you facing?   On which shoulder is the wind hitting you, right or left?  Are you sitting on the north or the south side of the pond?  What do you hear?  Where are the little birds?  Which direction across the water is the thrush?   

To make this clearer, draw a bird’s eye sketch on paper.  First draw a pond.  Mark an X where you are sitting, now draw the sun.  This should clue you as to which direction is east, it is morning and the sun is still rising……  If you know where east is, now figure out the other 3 directions, west is opposite east, that is easy, but which way is north and which way is south?  Be careful not to draw them upside down.  Next draw an arrow from the direction the wind is blowing from.  Last, mark where the thrush might be perched in the evergreens. 

Know your place at any given time on the surface of the earth.  This isn’t about reading a map, it is an awareness of which way is north or west by observing your environment.  Know which way the wind is blowing, keep in mind wind direction is measured from the direction it is coming from.  Highlight and underline that.  I’m sitting here today, real time, and the sky is overcast, there is a light mist and the wind is blowing.  I can look at the pond, see which shoreline is calm and back my way into knowing where the sun should be, it is midday at this point, figure out which direction the wind is coming from, the same direction the sun is hiding behind the clouds and know “Oh, the wind is southerly”.  I’m feeling a bit more secure in knowing where I am as I sit on this rock in relation to the vast expanse of woods around me.  I’ll just follow the trail out but I’ve had some fun in practicing a little bit of aid-less navigation in knowing my place and tuned into my powers of observation. 

How To ~  In the front of your notebook or on an index card, draw two intersecting lines with right angles and mark the four cardinal points we’ve talked about here, you may want to put in the NW, NE, SW and SE points also.  Now go out your backdoor, orient yourself to north.  What direction do you usually like to face when you are standing outside?  Draw the same birds-eye sketch of your backyard that we did for the story.   

Also in the front of your notebook or index card, write down these questions.  What is the time?,  Where is the sun?,  Which direction is the wind coming from?  What do I see?  What can I hear?  Is there any movement that I glimpse?  Make a note of your observations and if it helps, draw the bird’s eye sketch each time you go out to practice your observation skills.  Take it a step further and practice these observations in different places you travel to such as work, the grocery store or the school.  You may be surprised that you can find a picture painted of the natural world in any of these places, it may be even more diverse in wildlife than this remote pond if you should take the time to notice.  Ask yourself at the end of the month “Did these routines in observation, help to make me more aware of what is in my environment at the moment?” 

If this is easy for you, please take the time to share these lessons with some one else, a child, friend, or spouse who doesn’t understand why you always are disappearing into the woods for hours or days.  Whenever I share, I receive back something far greater in the form of a smile or a thank you and occasionally a new way of looking at our world through another’s eyes.  Those are gifts to treasure.   

Book ~ The Voyages of Dr. Dolittle, by Hugh Lofting is a 1922 children’s classic and winner of the Newbery Award  This tale is full of coincidences as young Tommy joins Dr. Doolittle with his animals on a voyage across the sea to a mysterious land.  A terrific recommendation to share with children, it is also an amusing story for adults to revisit.  

July  - What a beautiful summer day, white puffy clouds floating in the sky, the pond a deep blue color, loons feeding and preening, taking a break from tending their nest, absolutely gorgeous!

My son Jed, said to me recently,                                                                         “Mom, you like to be outdoors in the woods, go camping, take canoe trips, hike, go tracking animals and teach me about the woods, you know – a woodswoman.”  “Yes I do Jed, especially sharing the outdoors with you.”                                   I told him how flattered I am to be a woodswoman in his eyes.  I know it is the girl in my heart that leads me, curious and wondering, always asking questions and excited to share my stories with anyone who will listen. 

 Here is my first newsletter, something I have been talking about for a few years now and am finally taking the step forward.  I am sure the format will change a bit as I travel down this new trail, just as our gear might need some adjusting or re-packing shortly after we begin a journey.  Some months I may write about more technical aspects of being outdoors and learning such as tree or animal identification or tracking (it’s not just a guy thing and women are usually very good at it) or just being comfortable while you are out there.  The format will always begin with Appreciation and Thankfulness for those in our lives and gifts from Mother Nature.  There will be a Story, How-To, Resources, Sharing with others, A Book or other Inspiration and a Question.

  Appreciation ~ A HUGE  Thank You to those of you who have inspired me to move forward on this trail, I can’t begin to tell you how much I appreciate the thoughts and encouragement you’ve shared.  Some are close friends I talk with frequently and others are acquaintances and guests that have asked me questions, talked about common interests and our love of the natural environment. 

 Story ~ As school was letting out in June, I signed the kid's yearbooks “Enjoy the summer outside!”,  a student asked me, “Why do you like the outdoors so much?” 

 Scientifically  we can argue that the water in our bodies is from the beginning of time, the atoms our bodies are built of have been recycled since the days of dinosaurs, we are from the class of mammals evolved along the taxonomic tree which began like all other living things on the earth.  I find the scientific piece intellectually fascinating to explore and understand, yet it’s the part of nature that touches my heart and soul that makes me like the outdoors so much. Those precious moments so incredibly wonderful they are almost indescribable in words. 

 One morning I was kayaking in the still shadows along the edge of the pond.  As I approached the little brook bubbling in, a fawn was standing in the water, it’s mother a short distance upstream.  It was a living picture, frozen for a moment.  Like a speck of gold among my cluttered thoughts those few moments are etched in my memory.  The mother was statue still, the speckled babe turned its ears and twitched it nose to determine just what was this floating creature?   Most likely I was the first human it had encountered. 

 Each day I make a note of special things I experienced outdoors in nature.  A few words or short sentences to jog my memory at a later time.  Journaling makes me realize how much those experiences truly make my heart sing and the smiles from my memories, like an album of pictures, are relaxing, comforting and make it a whole lot easier to deal with the daily grind when our schedules get just a bit too hectic. 

 Journaling has a profound way of opening up awareness of the natural environment.  If you are already outdoors taking pictures, canoeing, fishing or hiking, enhance your experience and take along a notebook.  You will be amazed how much more meaningful those experiences become. 

 How To ~ Make a journal part of your everyday routine.  Keep it sweet and simple, something that will fit in your pack or a jacket pocket.  I have a small zipper bag with a few colored pencils, a pencil sharpener, pens and fine point markers.  I use a small 5 x 7 spiral bound notebook as a journal.  It fits in the bag, I can zip it up and stash the whole thing into my pack if I’m out exploring or leave it neatly stashed by the computer to update when I sit down each day to check my messages.  Your words need to be meaningful only to you.  They are your words, sketches and pictures, not something you should feel you need to share if you don’t want to.  Personalize it in your own way.  If you later want to turn those gold specks into something more, you can create memory books, write poetry or simply put a smile on your face as you reread them at some future time.

 On Saturday, May 14th,  I took the dog for a walk in the morning, did house chores, at one point played ball with my son in the yard and did a variety of odd things we all do on a Saturday.  Here is my journal entry:  Mother Fox relaxing and exploring with one kit near the barn.  A baltimore oriole singing in the very top of a popular tree.  A common yellowthroat in the fading forsythia blossoms.  Keeping it simple, I’m able to recall the joy of nature mixed in with a routine day of chores.  It may seem like I live in the right place to see stuff in nature but in truth I’m simply aware, always noticing what is happening in my natural environment.  Journaling has been a teacher for me to learn how to do that. 

Question ~ Ask yourself that same question, “Why do I like the outdoors so much?”  Journal and see what answer you might have in a month from now.  I would love to hear your answers.   

Resources ~  Keeping A Nature Journal by Claire Walker Leslie & Charles E. Roth  This book is a resource for learning through journaling, a great how-to for sitting and observing, what to look at and basic sketching.  You are taken through the seasons with samples, text and exercises to practice.  There is also a section on sharing journaling with others.

 Books ~  The first book I read about a north woods woman, was written by Helen Hamlin called Nine Mile Bridge.  Helen's husband Curly was a game warden assigned to an isolated outpost of Aroostook County.  This is her own story of living in the woods.  On page one Helen describes a roundabout scenic ride through northern Maine where she had come right through our dooryard here at Frost Pond Camps to Ripogenus Dam.  Back then this was the main road to and from Baxter State Park.  This book is now out of print but I recently found a second copy for my library that had been autographed by Helen.  What a treasure!  From this book I fell in love with the idea of living in the woods so here I am in a romance with the woods and waters on a new adventure every day.  

Your input is invited - ask questions, give suggestions, what interests do you have, what inspires you?  Type the words - Woodswomen Outdoors - in the subject line  info@frostpondcamps.com