July 17, 2008

Into the woods

Into the woods

Last weekend in the mountains, my husband and I took several hikes, one of which was miles longer than we intended, due to my misinterpretation of the trail map I had consulted. I am absolutely terrible at directions, so it's a mystery to me as to how my husband, after 30 years together, will still look at me confidently and say, "Now, which way do we go here?"

I don't know where I'm going most of the time when I'm in the woods, and that doesn't bother me at all. I mean, I'm not exactly lost — I can always find my way back out — and wandering around aimlessly is sort of the point of hiking anyhow. But my husband, who prefers to hike in the southwest where there are big scenic vistas, feels lost in the dense, wooded mountains of the northeast, where you can't see very far ahead, and he is always trying to figure out where we are. Our conversations go something like this.

Him: Where's the lake?
Me: The lake? It should be on our right.
Him: I don't see a lake.
Me: The guidebook said, "affords lovely views of the lake." Or something like that.
Him: There is no lake.
Me: The woods are pretty this time of year, aren't they?
Him: Where's the map?

Him: You left the map in the car?
Me: The trail loops around the lake.
Him: There is no lake.
Me: There was a waterfall on the map, but I didn't think we would want to go that far.
Him: We've already gone miles.
Me: Yeah, it seems weird we haven't seen the lake.
Him: Do you have any idea where we are?
Me: There's going to be a lake. On our right. Pretty soon.
Him: There is no lake.

Me: Hey, walk ahead and I'll take a photo.
Him: Maybe we should turn around.
Me: Look at this cool mushroom.
Him: This must be the wrong trail.
Me: I see a lake!
Him: That's THE LEFT.
Me: It's a lake!
Him: That must be some other lake.
Me: I hear a waterfall.
Him: I thought we weren't going to the waterfall.
Me: Look! A lovely view ....

7 comments:

Kayni said...

Funny conversation. I, too, am very bad with directions or even reading maps. My next project would be to get a gps. Hope all is well.

Sandie said...

too funny! and I walk in the woods much the same way you do! no worries and looking at all the 'pretties' ;)

Unknown said...

Heeheehee...

Cathy said...

You and I sound alike!

When folks ask - do you know where we are? I say, yep, we are right here. Drives em crazy. Yep that's me.

Sonnjea said...

Sadly, I would be your husband in this scenario! Funny, though.

Gawdess said...

rows and rows of tree!!!
funny too.

Sandy said...

Looks like a lovely place for a hike. Love the lines of those trees. I have to confess, I'm the "gotta know where I'm at, follow the map" kind of person like your dh. I'm working on being more relaxed and adventurous - taking pics along the way helps. :)