It’s amazing where a new pair of boots will take you

How curiosity-led wanders will open you up to Nature and hidden surprises

Feb 21, 2025

The unseasonable warm spell in January gave me the chance to follow my curiosity into parts of my property I’ve never ventured into since I moved here in 2017.

Are there any other white oaks of the size and age of the Elder Oak uprooted by Hurricane Helene, I wondered. Is there really a hidden spring below the house?

The Southern Appalachian oak forest on my six acres on a mountain ridge in the Blue Ridge Escarpment is second-growth forest. It was logged about 80 years ago along with most of the old-growth forests in Western North Carolina.

Since then rhododendrons and laurels took advantage of the opportunity to move out of their typical moist, shaded habitats. They dominate the understory in my forest.

Stalled by a wall of green

Which is why I’m never pushed into the dense undergrowth till now.

But emboldened by my new boots and the winter absence of ticks and snakes, in I went. I was thrilled to find another Elder Oak not far from where the first one fell, camouflaged by several white pines.

Then I wandered across the road into a more clear forest to find an odd, deep gash running through it with several downed pines. A wildlife camera at knee level alerted me I had wandered onto a neighbor’s property. I waved.

Bushwhacking and detours

With a bit more confidence my curiosity shifted.

Could my new boots help me finally find the alleged spring on the slope below my house? A small section of the slope directly below the house was cleared when the house was built, and it takes twice-yearly hacking to keep the rhodos and laurels from closing in.

That evergreen wall has always seemed to push me away, so this time I tried to go around.

First I bushwhacked from the left side, where I had to back off to keep from sliding down into the crevice where I suspected the spring was hidden. Then coming from the right side, I ducked my head and pushed through the rhodo wall close to the other side of the crevice, where I finally spotted a trickle far below.

I swayed to keep my balance as I shrieked.

The spring is real!

On the next bushwhack I detoured further to the right side through open forest.

But it was difficult to cross back laterally with all the downed trees and I eventually found myself down on the old logging road far below the house. But with a clear sense of where the spring was, I backtracked on the logging road, butt-sliding over the trunk of a huge felled pine.

When I rounded the end of the pine I gasped.

A magical rainburst spring after 4.5 inches of rain.

Shrieks and happy dances

I shrieked again, happy dancing like a silly forest elf.

With a wild determination I hustled, backtracking on the logging road again to find a spot to climb up before I lost the daylight. The final quest was now to find the source on my land, uphill from this rainburst spring.

I zigzagged uphill back toward the crevice, snapping dead rhodo stalks to pull myself from tiny clear space to tiny clear space. I didn’t know I found it until I was nearly on top of it – the springhead, quietly trickling out from under an unassuming wet rockface.

Another wild shriek and laughter. I caught my breath as I clung to rhodo stalks.

Close to the long-hidden springhead below my house.

A return to stillness

I desperately wanted to sit and melt into the stillness.

I wanted to stare at the trees looming high and drift away. I wanted to close my eyes and inhale the primeval energy of the forest.

But the daylight was almost gone and I couldn’t linger. Although I knew I was almost directly below my house by the open break in the sky, the slope above me was even steeper and more tightly laced with rhodos. Today was not the day to plow through.

So more backtracking and zigzagging to where I entered the forest. I emerged not far from the house just after sunset, tired, totally energized, giddy and at peace.

The bushwhacking prize

I did it. I found it. I lost track but it took five or six bushwhacks over two weeks.

Each time I emerged from the forest with twigs in my shirt, leaf crumbles in my bra and a goofy grin on my face. Plus a few scratches and bruises.

And, deeply grounded by boots - and knees and hands – on the Earth. And while I was absorbed with scrambling uphill and trying to skinny myself between rhodos, the tall white pines silently pulled the chaos and tension of the world away from me (as they always offer to do) and scattered the freed energy to the breeze where it could return to Source.

All l because I gave myself permission to follow my curiosity and wander into a place where from the outside, everything looks the same, to most people.

The simple secret to reconnecting with Nature - and yourself

Stay with me here.

All because I opened my curiosity and gave myself permission to ask:

“I wonder where this will take me?”
“I wonder what’s over there?”
“Why can’t I go there?”

That’s how I found the magical rainburst spring in the video.

That’s how I found the elegant trio of white pines on the edge of my property, like a gateway to the gorge below.

That’s how I finally found the springhead, which feeds not only my well but the ecosystem below.

Spoiler: Bushwhacking not required

My intent in telling you this story is to inspire you to pull on your boots – or walking shoes or Wellies – and get outside and wander.

I can hear you protesting: “Oh, but Marsha, I don’t live on a mountain ridge and have a hidden spring to discover!” You’re missing the point.

The point is you won’t know what there is to discover until you follow your curiosity and start wandering. To most folks from these parts my forest looks unremarkable from the road, like any other forest with a mix of oaks, hardwoods, pines and dense rhododendrons.

No mountain view through the trees. Nothing to see here. They keep driving.

Don’t let shortsightedness blind you

But what if…you can wander anywhere.

Because here’s the thing: You can wander anywhere you have a blue sky above.

In your garden, in a local park, by a lake, along a stream, on a hiking trail, on an empty stretch of beach. Heck, you can even wander with the plants and critters on your balcony or deck once you understand how to follow your curiosity and let it open you up.

Do it once and you’ll be hooked for life.

Only curiosity needed

This process may seem like a lot of steps to remember at first.

That’s because we screen-addicted humans have strayed away from awe and wonder for so long. When In fact, we’re naturally wired for awe and wonder.

As separate as we may think we are, we are part of every natural process on the planet. It’s in our DNA. The same forces that evolved the oaks and the mountains evolved us.

You don’t get much more intimately entwined in the web of life.

By letting your curiosity open you up, you’re only a moment away from rediscovering the world.

Ready? Get your boots on. Let’s go!

How to Wander Instructions

TL;DR: Here’s the short version for those of you ready to bolt out the door:

Unplug
Intention
Space and Time
Presence
Attention
Curiosity
Wonder
Awe
Return

Full instructions: Here’s the expanded version to help you get a feel for a wander.

Unplug: No electronics, screens, earbuds, headphones, phones. If you’re going to break out in a panic without your phone, turn it off or switch on airplane mode. Just keep the damn thing in your pocket, please?

Intention: Set the intention to be open to what Nature wants to show you, not what you want to get from Nature. No productivity goals, like thinking about a work issue while you wander. “Being open” is a challenging intention for most people these days, so don’t discount it.

Space: Give yourself enough space. Go to a favorite park or natural area where you can get off the road. A yard with interesting plants can work, but a mowed lawn or golf course likely won’t. You need at least one tree, other plants. Water is always wonderful but optional.

Time: Give yourself enough time. Once you lose yourself in following your curiosity and start wandering and wondering, 20 minutes will go by in the blink of an eye. I’ve found 20-30 minutes is about the minimum, but if you only have 10-15 minutes, follow the pull and get outside.

Presence: Stop, close your eyes, take a couple breaths and check in with your senses. Briefly touch base with your sensations of hearing, smell, taste, touch. What do you notice? Open your eyes and touch base with your sight. Are you - all of you - fully present in your skin, right here, right now? Let the fact that you’re gazing upon blue sky, clouds, rain, trees – whatever is present – flood your senses and settle into your body.

Attention: Bend your knees and softly bounce. Can you sense the Earth you’re standing on radiating up life through your feet? Widen your gaze and unfocus (yes, unfocus) your attention to absorb the present moment of beauty you’re alive to witness in front of you and move your body through.

Curiosity: Follow your curiosity as you let your gaze and attention wander unfocused. Where is your curiosity pulling you? Follow that gentle pull. No need for understanding or reasons. Trust the pull.

Wonder: Observe where your curiosity has pulled you. What’s here? Who is here? What do you notice that you never expected, have never seen before? Look more deeply. Can you get a sense of Nature’s design? Once you do, it will blow you away.

Awe: Let your senses flood with the details, the beauty, the stillness and the interconnectedness of your point of curiosity and everything surrounding you at this moment. Widen your gaze again as you imagine millions of these moments simultaneously across the planet. Stretch your senses to take in as much of that awe as you can.

Return: Take a deep breath and hold it. Imagine this moment of awe as a sparkle of light you inhale into your heart. Exhale slowly and allow your senses and awareness to return to the present. Whisper Thank you to the elements of Nature that brought you this moment of wonder and awe before you leave.

Repeat as often as possible. Daily is ideal.