My Blizzard Hike Misadventure

Hey there, fellow nature enthusiasts and reckless adventurers! Today, I'm here to share a tale that you might think is a little funny but also wags a finger at the more foolhardy among us. It's about the time I decided to challenge Mother Nature herself and learned a lesson in humility – and physics.

Picture this: a few years back, I was your everyday hiking adventurer, hitting the trails of my local nature park with the enthusiasm of a squirrel on an acorn hunt. Rain or shine, I was there. But then came the day when the news forecast a blizzard. Did that stop me? Of course not! I laced up my boots, grabbed my trusty camera (a partner in all my escapades), and headed out into a winter wonderland.

The trails were a blanket of untouched snow, and the snowfall was so thick it turned the world into a giant snow globe. I was a few miles in when I decided to take a loop back, probably prompted by the tiny voice of reason that I usually keep gagged and bound in the back of my mind.

As I trudged along, I reached the top of a large gulley. It looked innocent enough, but looks, as we know, can be deceiving. The moment I stepped onto the snowy and icy slope, my feet decided they had enough of being under my control. Whoosh! Down I went, sliding all the way down the hill. It was like an impromptu sled ride, minus the sled. And in a desperate attempt to save my camera, I held it high above my head like a trophy, making the whole scene look like a bizarre ritual to the snow gods.

When the ride was over, I lay there on my back, a human snow angel (or snowman-in-progress). First things first, I checked for injuries – none, thankfully. My camera? Also unscathed. It seems luck favors the foolish – sometimes.

Getting up, I decided that was enough thrill-seeking for one day. I walked back to the park exit with the cautious steps of someone who's just learned their lesson. That day, my love for hiking had pushed me into a foolhardy blizzard adventure.

So, here's the moral of the story: love nature, enjoy hiking, but maybe, just maybe, when the news screams 'blizzard,' it's a good idea to listen. Stay safe out there and remember, a good story is only fun if you're around to tell it!

I'll talk to you later.

My Suburban Adventure

Not all of you know that the majority of the places I get these pictures is right in the middle of the city. Well, actually suburbs of Detroit. I don't make it a secret though. In fact, that's really what The Everyday Adventurer is all about.. Little adventures that are a normal everyday thing for me. I try to show that everyone can do this.

Also, the city of Detroit doesn't have a very good reputation around the United States. People from other places think it's a scary and violent place where you can get murdered by just entering the city. That's not nearly as true as many people think. But it can happen here, or in any other large city anywhere in the world. That's just a fact of life when so many people are crowded together. I can think of a few other cities I would be more worried about.

My stories and pictures are proof that there is also the beauty of nature here around Detroit. And there will be more every day. There are already plans set for more places to be nature parks here. The future of nature is doing very well here in my little part of the world. I'm glad I live in this place.

Maybe you're wondering why I'm writing about this right now. Well, there is a bit of a negative reason. On my hike from where I got these pictures there was something that happened. At the very back of this particular nature park, which is the smallest one I travel, there is a row of houses on a small suburban street.

The back fence of the park goes right to their backyards. While I was at the back of this park I heard the sounds of a loud speaker. I soon found out that it was the police. There was a problem at one of the houses. The police were trying to get someone to come out. I heard this several times. I knew there was danger so I hurried out of that area of the park.

I don't know if the problem was resolved, or how big or small the problem was. Most likely it was a domestic disturbance of some kind. Hopefully there was no violence. But this is something that happens anywhere, especially where there are so many people. It didn't faze me, and I knew what to do, get out of there, but it was unusual.

Such a peaceful looking place has a city around it. This is a small slice of paradise here. Usually my adventures are just about nature, but when I am still in an urban area the adventures can be about other things too, good and bad.

I guess this is why I love nature so much. It is not there when I look out my window, but I can find it very close to me. Maybe you can too. It doesn't matter what size of city you live in. I live in one of the biggest cities in the world and I find nature on a routine everyday basis. So get out there and find your little slice of paradise.


Nature Center Magazine

I Was Almost Killed!

How do I describe what just happened to me? The photo you see above is of the same exact fallen tree that is being offered by Rob as free wallpaper over at Nature Center Magazine right now (Shameless plug. Yeah!!). I took this one to illustrate what I'm about to tell you. I took a similar picture earlier in the day for the comparison I mentioned. But then something bigger than any one human happened!

I was coming back out of Woodland Hills Nature Park, where I had a winter fall that I reminded you about a few days ago. It was a slightly windy day, but it also happened to be the first day of the year that I could go out without a jacket. I had been hearing the trees slightly creaking from the wind all day long, but I thought nothing of it.

I was finishing up from a wonderful day. I was daydreaming about the wonderful sights and sounds that I will show you in the days to come. There are two trails going through this park, and I purposely chose the very trail where I had fallen last winter. It turns out that I might have been very lucky that I did this.

I was about 3/4 of the way out of the park, and at a point where the two trails are closest to each other. I was listening to the trees creak in the wind when all of a sudden off towards the other trail one of those creaking sounds began to grow into a groaning sound! The groaning turned into a mighty tearing, crashing sound!

I turned towards the sound as it was all happening. I saw a huge tree falling down in my direction through all of the other trees. It was as loud as standing next to a freight train! As the tree fell, I saw it break in two more places on the trunk! Splinters were flying everywhere! It looked for all the world as if the tree had exploded!

I stood there staring in awe. All I could do was stupidly utter, "Wow..." I wasn't close enough to be in any danger, but if I had chosen the other trail it was right where I would have been. I came within one choice of possibly being killed by a falling tree. Even though I witnessed this from the other trail, I actually felt the ground shake from the tree crashing down!

My first thought was to cross over to the other trail to see the results of the devastation. But very soon I heard more crashes as if they were aftershocks like in an earthquake. That made the decision for me. I was going to leave the park, staying on the trail all the way! Checking out the fallen tree could wait.

This all happened in maybe only a few seconds. I always thought if a tree was falling that I might be able to simply step out of the way. Now that I've seen it happen, I know I would never have that chance. It's just too fast. I also realize now that I've witnessed an event that only a few people in the entire world have seen. I'm guessing most of those few people commonly see things like that. Most others have never seen this outside of TV.

I did end up going and looking for the tree later on as the paths crossed. I couldn't find which tree it was. It apparently didn't fall across the trail. But take a look at these photos. This forest looks like it has been torn apart by a giant. There is something very wrong here, and it started a few years ago. Many of the trees are dying.

I thought it was just the wind at first. This is not the only time I've had a close call in this forest. A year and a half ago I told of a similar story where I had to climb over a tree that had fallen across my path here. It was a very windy day that day. The forest looked fine until then. In another week the forest had lost maybe one in five trees. Apparently it's still happening.

The tree in the above photo is what remains of the tree that fell across my path that year. As you can see by the other pictures, there are too many fallen trees for me to find the one that I just watched come down. Besides, my search wasn't very detailed for obvious reasons. I wanted out of there.

I'll tell you now that I will definitely be back there. It didn't scare me that much, or maybe even enough to have sense enough to get the hell out of there then. The one thing I want to tell you to wrap this story up is this: If you are in the forest and you hear the trees creaking, pay close attention! ...If it's not already too late.

Very Odd

I have an odd mystery for you today. But don't worry, I know the answer, and I'll give it to you at the end of the post. I found a very strange track while I was out hiking the other day. I've seen tracks like this before in different parts of this same nature park. They seemed very strange then too. Let's see why.

Cat Track

Dog Track

At first, second, and maybe even third glance the track at the top strongly resembles the cat track on the left. In comparison it doesn't really look much like the dog track on the right, does it? So that must solve this little mystery then, right? The track was made by a common ordinary house cat. Wrong!!!

Take a look at the picture below to find out more evidence to why this track is not what it seems. Very strange indeed!

Here is another picture of this track, but this time my own boot is next to it. I have to tell you that I have very big feet. My boot size is a men's 14. Huge, right? Now think about the size of that supposed house cat track. Melting snow can make tracks appear larger, but not by that much. That must be one really big cat that made that track! We now know that it was no house cat. But what is it? I've heard some pretty strange sounds out here at night.

Okay, here is another track from the same type of animal. This one looks a little bit different than the first one. The toes seem to be a little bit more pointed. That's partly because you can see the claw marks at the front. If you go back to the first picture you can also see claw marks. What does that tell us?

This last picture's track is from a dog. I wanted to show you this so you could see what a typical dog track looks like. It resembles the illustration of a dog up further on the right. Not all dog tracks are exactly alike though. Notice how pointy the toes seem to be. That's because a dog's claws stick out wherever it goes.

So what is the identity of our strange creature that made our mystery tracks? It's not a cat. Not a house cat. Not a mountain lion, or a bobcat. Even though it somewhat resembles a cat, the identity of our creature is just an ordinary pet dog. Cat tracks never show claws. The tracks are odd for a dog, but that's exactly what they are.

Rock

Snow can sometimes distort the tracks we are seeing. Other times it's just the way an individual animal steps down. Tracking an animal sometimes takes a little research to get it just right. After learning about them, you can identify even the strangest tracks in a matter of seconds. That's what I did.

Tracking animals, even pets, is one of the most fun parts of winter. I could give you a hundred mystery track posts like this, but I'll limit them to just a few. I always wanted to be able to identify animal tracks, just like the heroes on TV and in the movies. A cowboy, an adventurer, a detective. I can imagine myself as all of them when I'm out there.

The Fallen Adventurer

It was going to be a great day.

There I was, all alone in the middle of the wilderness, enjoying my most recent hike. The day was a cold one, and the paths were covered with snow and ice. I was right in the center of one of the larger nature preserves around here, on my way back to the front of the park and out to my truck. That's when it happened!

I came to a lonely area where only the deer like to go. I was entering a gully where I like to stop and enjoy the quiet  of nature. The place is like a bowl that is surrounded by trees, except for the human foot path and a deer trail that crosses it. As I got halfway down the slope, my feet slid right out from under me!

A lot of times, when this kind of thing happens, it seems to go in slow motion, but not this time. I was laying on the ground almost before I knew what happened! I did have time to kind of tuck my body to try to minimize any injury, and to try to protect my camera, which is too valuable to me to let it get broken.

I fell on my back, and my arms and legs splayed out to my sides, as I slid a couple of feet down the slope. As I was falling, my eyes turned to my hand with the camera in it. I tried my best to keep it out of the snow, but it ended up completely covered by the wet white stuff.

These are the marks in the snow from my fall.

While I did feel the impact as I crashed to the ground, I didn't really feel any pain. I guess it must have happened too fast for that. What I was most concerned about was the camera. When I stopped sliding, I sat up in the snow and began trying to get the snow off of it any way I could; it was everywhere. I was happy to see that my prized device was still working.

This whole time I just sat there in the snow. I never once attempted to stand up. I didn't feel cold or wet, I just felt frustration and confusion. How could I have slipped? I was wearing my trusty ice cleats on my feet. They should have dug right into any slippery spot. I then noticed the battery indicator on the camera was flashing, so before I got up I changed the batteries.

Finally, after putting in the new batteries, I got to my feet. I felt fine! I didn't seem to be injured in anyway, not even my hind end, which probably bore most of the impact. I had a feeling that I'd be sore later though. It was then that I decided that all I wanted to do was to get out of there. I wanted to go home.

Notice the blurring on the bottom left and the middle.

I began quickly walking towards the front of the park. I took some pictures just because that's what I do. I noticed that there were a few very blurry areas on the view screen of the camera. I hoped these were just because the lense needed to be cleaned.

It was then that I noticed I was moving so fast. I also noticed that I had a few aches and pains that wouldn't normally be there. I realized that in a situation like this that it was natural to panic just a little bit, and that's what I was doing. The pain was from the fall, and my movement had warmed me up and brought out the pain.

When I realized what was happening, I physically stopped myself. I came to a halt right there on the trail. I told myself to slow down and be careful. Tiring myself out or really injuring myself wouldn't help one bit. I reminded myself that I was fine and to slowly continue on my way out of the park.

Finally, the parking lot!

In the end, I got out of the park and to my truck, but it was very slow going because I made sure to move extra slow. My camera still works, but I don't know how well yet. I immediately felt exhausted when I got home, and took a long nap. When I woke up I felt very stiff, but other than that I'm uninjured. It could have been much worse.

This should be a lesson to any prospective hikers. Try to hike with someone if you can. I only hike alone because I have no choice. I carry a cell-phone with me for situations like this. I almost needed it. Without my phone, if I had been really injured, nobody would have heard me yell for help, because I was very much alone out there. Before you go hiking take a look at my post on hiking tips for beginners. It could save your life.

I guess that's it for today from a sore, but otherwise fine Everyday Adventurer. I hope you all have a Happy New Year!

A Mighty Wind

We had a huge windstorm here the night before my last post came out. Wind isa very powerful force of nature. Even when it's not strong enough to create a tornado or a hurricane, wind can still be strong enough to do serious damage to many different things.

There are two things that happened as a result of this windstorm that we had. The first thing that happened to me was that I lost my electricity in my house. I'm getting frustrated because it seems like every time the wind blows hard my neighborhood loses its electrical power. I can look down the street at those times and there are lights there. I lose power like this at least twice a year. Why is there such a problem where I live?

Then to make matters worse, at the time my power went out I still had the web page with my new post open. I had already published it, so I thought it was ready to go out right on time. When my power finally came back on at mid-afternoon I found out there was a serious problem with yesterday's post.

It was not published on the site. Something put the post in draft mode, so it was not published at all. I quickly fixed it, but by then it was too late. So if you haven't seen it yet, that one is just below this one you're reading now. Take a look at it. It's a small look at the things that can sometimes go wrong with nature photography.

Now on to matters that involve powerful wind storms in a slightly different way. Any of you who routinely read my blog know that I like to be in the forest. It's my favorite place to hike, and I can even sit right down in the forest to read or just relax. It's my home away from home.

The only problem is that if the wind is blowing very hard, the forest can be a very dangerous place. Wind can blow large branches right off of a tree. It can even break large tres right in half. I've seen whole huge trees that were completely uprooted.

It actually can depend somewhat on what season it is at the time. These kinds of things don't happen as much in the summer as they do in colder seasons. The trees seem to be stronger and more full of moisture and life at that time. There are also not as many strong windstorms then.

In the other three seasons it's not the case at all. The trees seem weaker and more brittle. Maybe it's partly because of their lack of leaves. Cold weather probably also helps make the tree more brittle. There could be several reasons. All of this is only from my own personal observation, so it's only speculation.

I was actually caught in a winter storm out in the woods last year, and the trees were falling down all around me. I had to climb through the branches of a fallen tree to get out because the path was impassible otherwise. It was a thrilling, but scary, experience for me.

They had to close that nature park for a few days the next spring because of another huge windstorm. I lost my power then too. I went through that park when it was reopened and the damage was massive. There were fallen trees everywhere I looked. The forest looked a lot thinner than it had before. It must have been a tragedy for any animals that live there.

I guess what I'm trying to say in all of this is that you shouldn't go into the forest if the wind is blowing so hard. It doesn't have to be tornado or hurricane weather to be dangerous. You don't want to learn this the hard way. I almost did.

The Thing About Squirrels

There is something very important I have to explain to you. A little over a week ago I wrote a post titled "Furious Squirrel". In that story I wrote about how a very angry squirrel came very close to attacking me. Many of you found it hard to believe that a normal squirrel would do something like that. Some thought the behavior deviated from anything normal, and maybe there was something wrong with it.

I have to tell you now that it was perfectly normal behavior by a squirrel, and this squirrel was a very normal little forest creature. He had no diseases or dementia. He was just a squirrel. I know that many of you think of squirrels as fuzzy little bushy tailed animal friends that like to come up and beg for breadcrumbs and nuts. And you are actually somewhat correct if that's what you think, but that is actually the same thing that makes them seem so mean at other times.

I want to let you know right now that squirrels are some of my very favorite little creatures. You can find a very large population of them all around where I live. They are fun to watch. They do some seemingly very comical things. I have spent a lot of time laughing at their cute little antics. But there's a reason that the word squirrely also means crazy. The word nuts also means crazy, probably because nuts are associated with squirrels.

One of the things you have to remember is that squirrels, despite being so darn cute, are still wild animals. They also share a large part of their habitat with us humans. They see us every day, so they aren't as afraid of us as some other creatures might be. That's why neighborhood squirrels are so willing to come right up to us and sometimes beg for food.

It's also the very same reason why a forest squirrel would be brave enough to threaten to attack a big human, such as myself. A forest squirrel is much more likely to be angry with us because while they still see us very often, we are invading a space that they don't share with us as often as our neighborhoods. The forest is their home, not ours. They see us as trespassers. There are also other forest creatures that behave in this same sort of way.

I have told you many stories over the past year of my encounters with squirrels, so if you look through my archives you'll see many different types of behavior from them. Some do get very angry. Some come running curiously to see what I'm doing. And others are very friendly and don't mind me at all. I've also had very similar experiences with deer, some threatening to attack me because I was in a place they claimed as their own.

I just recently showed you an incident where a tribe of squirrels worked together to fight off a hawk that wanted to eat them. This demonstrates a level of intelligence that even I didn't expect. So while we think of squirrels as maybe crazy, or just dumb animals, they are very intelligent and they have reasons for the things they do. I don't always know those reasons.

The one thing I do know is that they have emotions. They feel happy and sad, or even angry. They are just creatures trying to live, just as we are trying to live. While it's a fun thing for us all to watch these funny little creatures, it's also wise to give them their space. They are wild animals. Any wild animal can be unpredictable. Any might attack you for reasons you don't understand.

So show the animals some respect while you try to move in for a photo. I sometimes get very close, but I know when to stop or when to back off, even if I don't always explain that clearly. You can get close, but just watch them for danger signs. I hope that explains just a little bit about our bushy tailed little friends. What do you think?

I'm Invisible To Chipmunks

I went back to the Woodland Hills Nature Park where there is a huge tribe of Chipmunks, and I brought back a few interesting things for you. First of all, I have several pictures of one of these curious little guys for you. I wish I could show you more, but I have to consider the limited space.

The second thing I have for you is a bit of a discovery I have made regarding chipmunks. You know, when you have been watching animals for awhile, and start becoming good at observing their behavior, you start to notice things about them. Let me tell you the story about it so you understand.

While I was walking through chipmunk territory, and hoping for a few good pictures, I heard a rustling noise off to my right, so I stopped to see what it was. As I was peering past an old fallen tree beside the trail, the little chipmunk in these pictures jumped right up on the tree.

As you can see by all of these pictures I definitely wasn't going to pass up this opportunity that jumped right up in front of me. I moved my camera up to my face as slowly as possible and began taking more pictures than I could ever hope to need. I was in luck! The chipmunk seemed completely oblivious to my presence.

The chipmunk walked around on that log sniffing around for food, and just generally having a relaxing time. It wasn't that it didn't mind me being there, it was that the chipmunk didn't see me! I was standing only five feet(1.5 meters) away, and the chipmunk just plain didn't know I was there!

So have you guess what I discovered? Well, let me continue the story. As I watched this chipmunk completely ignoring me, I began to understand what was going on. I finally decided this had to end, so I thought I would try a little experiment. So I took a full step to my left, and the chipmunk darted from the log and ran terrified into the forest!

I'm not sure if chipmunks have a reputation for poor eyesight, but this chipmunk had trouble seeing me as long as I didn't move. This is not the only one that has done this either. The last chipmunk that I saw, and used for my last game here on the blog, behaved exactly the same way. I was also able to get very many shots of that one too.

Other chipmunks that I encounter will run away as I walk through the forest, only to run halfway back and peer at me. I have always assumed that this was just an intense case of curiosity. Maybe it is partly curiosity, but maybe they are also trying to see what it is that they ran from, which is also a bit of curiosity of course.

That bit of bad eyesight might explain why they peer at me so intensely though. It could also be that I just look funny, but I don't like to think about that. So, what do you think? Does it seem as if I have discovered something significant, or is it just my imagination? After all, I could still bewrong about all of this, but observation doesn't lie if you pay attention.

So next time you are in an area with small animals that you want to watch, just try standing very still. It might work as well as it has for me with these chipmunks. I have read it also works for birds. I wouldn't try this on bigger animals that might be dangerous though. You don't want to become lunch. Have a nice day!

Poisonous Plants

Something I have wanted to talk about for a long time is poisonous plants. Since I started hiking I've been looking for a common plant around here called Poison Ivy. I know generally what it looks like, but positively identifying it can be difficult sometimes.

The plants you see in these pictures could be poison ivy or they could be another plant called boxelder, which is actually a non-poisonous tree and is also common here. Every picture I see confuses me more. As far as I know, young boxelder trees resemble poison ivy more than any other non-poisonous plant.

As some of you know, I can get confused trying to identify certain plants. That's not unusual for anyone though. Most people would not be able to tell the difference between these two plants. There is one very easy way, but I don't recommend it at all. If you touch poison ivy you'll end up with a very bad rash in about a week. The boxelder is safe.

While I was visiting one of my favorite nature parks yesterday, I was talking with one of the park officials I happened to meet on the hiking trail, and the subject of poison ivy came up. She told me that the place was just full of the stuff, especially right next to where we were standing!

She pointed out a few of the plants beside the trail, identifying them as poison ivy. One of my pictures here is one of the plants she pointed out. She also mentioned the boxelder trees and how confusing it could be. So why would anyone take a chance and leave the trail in that area?

This is one of the main reasons I tell beginners to stay on the trails. That includes your kids! I once saw a boy that actually rolled around in unidentified plants on trails like this. I tried to stop him but his parents were ignorant about such things and only thought it was funny, so I could do nothing further. Hopefully he was unhurt.

If you want some really good information on poison ivy you can go to this link. It also shows pictures of poison ivy, boxelder, and other plants that have been confused with poison ivy. Places like this, along with some of the park officials I've talked with, have helped me get a better understanding about these plants.

Speaking of the park officials, if you happen to be at a place where they have people like this working there, they may have some very valuable knowledge to share. If you're polite, you can learn all sorts of things from them. I had a great conversation with the woman I met yesterday. She even told me the best place to find deer in the park this time of year.

I hope this story teaches you something. Also, are there any of you who might know more about poison ivy? I'd really like to know if these plants are the real thing. Any of you who don't know, don't touch them! I know I won't.

Hiking Tips For Beginners

The most comprehensive list of hiking tips for beginners.

It's time to get serious and make The Everyday Adventurer a little more useful to its audience. My usual goofy posts will continue on most days, but today I want to guide absolute beginners to enjoy nature for themselves. I want to introduce more people to nature so it becomes better for us all. This first post of nature tips will be about hiking tips for beginners.

This list is by far not complete. That's where you come in. Some of you are very experienced about nature and hiking, but even if you are not, I'm asking you to please help whenever you can by adding to this list of tips. Whenever you think of anything useful for a beginner, just add it in the comments section below. For instance, what experience have you had that might benefit an absolute beginner? All other comments and especially questions are also welcome. I love questions.

When this post is up, I'll put it in a prominent place on my sidebar so everyone can find it from now on. I'll periodically look through the comments and add the best beginner tips to the main list. I hope to make this post the most viewed and commented post on this website. This is my biggest attempt to introduce others to nature and hiking, so please help with what you can.

On to the tips.


1. Communication

The first thing to do before you go anywhere alone, or even in a group, is to tell somebody where you’re going. Also plan to have a way to communicate with the world when you get there. That means, if it’s possible, take a cellphone or some other means of communication with you. Whatever will help others know approximately where you are will be your best help in case of an emergency.

Most likely you’ll never need any of this, but who knows what kind of freak accident might happen. What if you sprain your ankle because you trip over something? You might need some assistance getting out of even a small nature preserve then. Injuries can happen anywhere, so try to stay as safe as possible when you’re in a place that can only be reached by foot.


2. Start Slowly

If you’ve never been hiking before, don’t try to do too much. The first and best place to go for a beginner is a small nature park like the ones I feature on this website. Most of them are small enough that most people can walk to the end and back.

Remember that you don’t have to walk too fast. Take your time and look around. You can even stop to get a better look at some of the more interesting features along the way. You’re supposed to enjoy yourself. There’s no reason at all to hurry.

In most parks you can also periodically find benches along the way. If you’re tired, go ahead and take a rest on a bench. This not only gives you time to catch your breath, but it also gives you a great opportunity to get a better look at the nature that surrounds you.

If you’re tired and you feel like turning around and leaving, go ahead and do that. You can always go back another time. A hiking trip can be as long or as short as you want it to be. You want this to be an enjoyable experience, so don’t wear yourself out very much when you’re first starting out. This is all so you can become accustomed to nature and hiking.


3. Use A Compass

A compass can be a very valuable tool. Its main function is to tell you the direction that you are going. You can buy a cheap compass for as little as $2, maybe less in some cases. That’s all that’s necessary in some cases. I’ve used a cheap compass to find my way around in some very confusing places. Even if you think you know where you’re going, it’s sometimes easy to get turned around if there are many different trails.

In a future post I’ll teach you to use a compass. As a matter of fact, I’ll show you how to do more things with a compass than you’ll ever need. It will be a very complete lesson.


4. Stay On The Path

This one is essential for any beginner. You never know what you might find if you step even a few inches off of a hiking trail. There are all sorts of hazards. I’ve seen snakes at every nature park I’ve been to so far. Most of these are small parks in urban areas. You almost never see a snake until it’s right in front of you.

There are poisonous plants at the edges of several of these trails. If you don’t know how to identify most of these plants and animals yet it’s better just to stay on the trails and not wander into the forest. None of us wants a bad case of poison ivy, do we?

Besides, if you wander too far off the trail there’s a strong possibility that you might become lost. A person who is lost has a much better chance of someone finding them on a well traveled trail than if they’re out in the middle of the forest.


5. Don’t Feed The Animals

Most places you go have signs up all over the place telling you to not feed the animals. You may think it’s just a cute little thing that you can make friends with, but it’s a wild animal. Have you ever fed an eager dog and it accidentally nipped your fingers? Any other animal is no different.

Just think of trying to feed a cute little squirrel. The animal becomes brave enough to come take the food out of your hand. Then, like the dog, it accidently nips your finger. What happens if the squirrel was diseased in some way? Even if it wasn’t, do you really want to take that chance?

Maybe you’ve decided to feed a small flock of geese. A goose is a lot bigger than it may seem. What happens when the geese become overeager for your breadcrumbs, and all of them try to take them from you at once? A goose can kill a dog by beating it with its wings. It could probably injure a person.

What happens if an animal becomes dependant on food from humans? It might forget how to get its own food. It might end up starving to death because you innocently thought you were helping it by giving it that little snack.


What tip(s) do you have for beginners? Do you have a question? Words of encouragement? OR do you even want to expand upon or correct my original tips? Are you a beginner who wants help? Any one of you can answer questions here too. I welcome everything, so please contribute.

10 Tips To Get Close To A Deer

I've been taking a lot of pictures of deer lately. As I've encountered them more and more, I've learned a few techniques that help me get pretty close to them. I've learned some of these from other sources, and some I figured out from experience. Some of these are a combination of both.

I want to tell you that I am not a hunter, I only take pictures. If you're hunting deer, there is probably another set of rules. This is for deer that are roaming slightly populated areas, and are already a little used to humans. I'm sure many of you have seen these in your area.

This is a simple list. It's not meant to be the ultimate answer to getting closer to a deer. It's meant to get you started as a beginner. I've done all of these things myself, and they work. So here it is. Let me know how you like it.

10 Tips To Get Close To A Deer

1. Be Quiet - This is the first thing you should know. You probably don't need me to tell you this. Deer are already nervous, and the slightest noise might send them galloping away from you. So keep quiet. Don't talk loudly, and try not to step on anything that would make a noise.

2. Walk Slowly - This is the first thing to remember. Take your time. If you move at a slow pace, they won't be as quick to run away. What would you do if something came running towards you? It would obviously startle you. You're not in a hurry anyway, are you?

3. Move With Your Back To Them - This is one of the first extra things I learned. I watched a man do this while taming wild horses. The trick is, if you have your back to them, they think you're walking away. It helps them think you are leaving. Now they'll be less inclined to be afraid and run away.

4. Don't Look Directly At Them - If you look off to one side, they won't think you're interested in them. When you look at them, look out of the corner of your eye. You can still see them. You don't want them to see you watching them. To a deer, it's only predators that watch them. If you appear to be looking somewhere else, they won't think they're about to be your next meal.

5. Walk At An Angle To One Side - This one is a continuation of the last two, but it's equally important. You don't want them to see you moving directly toward them. Again, they think only a predator would do that. If you move at an angle to the right or left, they won't realize when you slowly move closer.

6. Keep Your Arms Down - Another thing I learned from the horse guy. If you keep your arms down, you look a little smaller. If you raise your arms, a deer doesn't see just arms. A deer sees a pair of claws, and a big cat ready to pounce. It's an instinctive thing for a deer to think of raised hands or paws as a danger sign.

7. Periodically Stop And Examine The Ground - This one helps to slow you down, and it helps you look as if you're uninterested in them. When you do this, you appear as if you're slow and stupid. Watch another person that does this naturally. What does it make you think? Slow and stupid means you're not a cunning predator looking for a meal. Try to see if they're getting more panicky and ready to run. Stop and do this whenever they look like they're going to run. You'll get better at judging when to do this, the more you do it.

8. Keep Your Head Down - The things on the list before this can help with this one, but it's important to remember. If your head is looking at the ground, it's not looking at the deer. That puts them at ease, and you can get even closer. Remember, you can look at them out of the corner of your eye, and see them just fine.

9. Try To Look Small - Everything above will help make you look smaller. I have actually gotten down on my knees to get pictures of a deer, and it worked amazingly well. The deer calmed down and started grazing on the grass in front of it. I was only ten feet away.

10. Hide - This last one may not always be compatible with the others. But if they can't see you, they're less likely to run. I used the cover of trees to get close enough to walk right out among the deer in the picture above. Then I applied the other techniques to keep them from running away.


That's it. I've used all of these tips in the last two weeks, and they all worked well for me. I've seen other people do the opposite, with terrible results. These are all mostly common sense, but if you keep them in you head as a list, you're more likely to remember. Try my tips out, and when they work for you, come back and tell me about it.


Examples Of Me Using My 10 Tips

• Oh Deer!
• Deer In My Backyard
• Why The Deers Tails Were White
• My Close Encounter With A Deer
• Why Do The Deer Keep Coming Back?