Walk To Get Lost

“Walk to get lost,” wrote Annabel Streets. “I like getting lost. I like the way it jolts me awake as if a double espresso has been poured directly into my head and given a good stir.”

Evidently, there are benefits to being lost. Says Streets, “When we’re lost, we’re exposed to new landscapes and landmarks—forcing our brain to sit up and take note, to engage with our surroundings.”

I’ll be honest. I’ve never purposely gone off-track. And, espresso high notwithstanding, I’ve not particularly enjoyed it when I did. Yes, I have been lost on hikes, more times that I want to admit, so I get what Streets is saying.

“When we’re lost, our brain scrambles to protect us,” she wrote, “making us interact with the landscape with renewed vigor. This is the reverse of what happens when we’re guided by Google maps. Blindly following a little red dot, we fail to notice what’s above, below, or behind us.”

Ouch! Streets’ admonition brings to mind a journey I took with California grandsons two years ago. We rarely get to see one another so I thought inviting them to hike with me in the Sierra Nevada would be just the thing to establish a relationship with their granddad.

At 5.1 miles out and back, the Sierra Buttes Trail in Tahoe National Park would be challenging. And it ends with a super cool staircase leading up to an abandoned fire lookout. I was especially excited about using a new trail app on my phone that would let me follow the “little red dot” Streets spoke of all the way to the top.

I think you know where this story is going. Yep, the Internet coverage failed, and I got us lost. But no worries, my grands got us found.

Note to self: when choosing between a fancy Internet app and the instincts of young men raised in the mountains, pick the latter.