Get lost, you can't beat it!

Our society gives the word "lost" a negative connotation.  With phrases like, "Not all who wander are lost," or the quotation accredited to Daniel Boone, "I've never been lost, but I was mighty turned around for three days," people generally seem to think being lost is undesirable, but let's take a closer look at this four letter word.   The dictionary at Cambridge.org defines lost as, "not knowing where you are and how to get to a place," which sounds pretty good to me.  I like not knowing what's around the next bend in the trail, or even which way the trail will bend, as these are the conditions where my experience of life expands.  "Not knowing" is just a step on the path to "finding out," which is one of my all time favorite activities.

Which way will this path lead?

Yesterday was moving day for running compatriot (and the real winner of the 40-49 age group at 7 Sisters this year), Dan Grip.  Unfortunately, Dan's shoulder and neck have recently been doing what 40-49 year old shoulders and necks will do and giving him discomfort in droves, so the prospect of lifting and carrying a bunch of bulky household items presented a distinct problem.  That's what friends are for.  Dan put a request out to our running group, with three of us answering the call.  For me, that also gave a direction for my Sunday ride: the hills and woods of Wendell, with lots of current and otherwise unpaved roadways.  It's a great place to explore, possibly even get a wee bit lost!

Ames Pond

So that's exactly what I did.  Rolling up Wendell Road in Shutesbury, I noticed the trailhead sign for Julian's Bower, for me, undiscovered lands.  The provided map suggested a possible option for connecting through the woods to continue my travels north to Dan's house, and while my negotiation of the trails on offer returned me back to the south on Wendell Road after my attempt to avoid a rocky climb/push, oh boy, was what I found ever worth the wander.  I love a marshy boardwalk, and certainly, I'll be back to explore the one at Ames Pond some more, but yesterday will always be a special visit to this place, not so much because it was the first, but rather because the discovery was unexpected.  And for that, I needed a little willingness to lose myself.