Walking Backwards
An old hunting trick repurposed on a walk.
A friend once told me an old hunting trick.
“Turn around and slowly walk backwards to see what is behind you,” he said. “You might find animals creeping out along the way you have just passed. ”
I have tried this technique several times. Not for hunting, but for nature study.
A few times I did see ruffed grouse dart out across the path behind me. And once I spotted a fawn and her mother leap across the lane I had just walked.
Most of the time the road behind me remains as quiet and empty as a church after a morning service.
Yet there is something delightful about the act of walking backwards on a country road or across a field or meadow.
First, the scenery looks different. Yes, you are looking at the same trees, wildflowers and grasses. The break in the woodland canopy still reveals glimpses of bright clouds overhead.
But you are viewing this familiar scene differently, from a different point of view.
Somehow everything seems fresher.
Newer. Brighter. As if you have discovered a new path.
Even more surprising is how off-kilter your body feels when you try to walk backwards for any distance.
