That's hilarious Martha! In traditional navigation on a sailing boat, it's called leeway (the wind pushes the boat sideways - to the lee side or downwind side as well as forward) and it has to be estimated. That's one reason why long distance navigating was as much an art as a science. Much easier in these days of GPS that plots it for you. But now you've built yourself a delightful forest bathing trail. Think of how that will make life better, being able to walk your very own trail through a dense natural growth whenever you want to! It will be marvellous in spring when the rhododendrons are in bloom too. Allow yourself some leeway to take advantage of your new trail.
Thanks, Rosemary! I didn't know that's where the term leeway comes from. So I wonder where the phrase "give yourself some leeway" originated? Haha! I wish I had gotten that far on opening the trail, but my rather tight 360 means I'd just forest bathe in circles! But after this adventure I reached out to an arborist and asked about how to deal with all the dead growth, which I understand is cyclical. He said he's spent time with a naturalist who is an expert in Southern Appalachian forests, who explained that because of forest fire suppression the rhododendrons have become the dominant understory species in many regions and are shading out out native growth. I know from experience elsewhere on my land where I've cut them back to the ground that they come back nicely, so I may be clearing more than just a trail! Something to ponder.
It's the same origin. If you are making leeway in the boat and say, aiming to get past a headland, then you have to give yourself some leeway to get past it as the wind might push you on the rocks. That is, you have to sail a bit further out (nearer to the wind) to allow for the fact that the wind is pushing you sideways. It's like saying you need to give yourself a bit of extra space so that you don't hit the headland- or in your case, fall down the gorge .
I can 100% imagine this! It's so easy for a tangle to nudge you this way and that, while you're sure you're still "basically heading the same direction," and soon you're completely turned around! It's happened to us trying to line out our property boundaries in some brushy areas, and that's not even a rhododendron thicket 🤣
That's hilarious Martha! In traditional navigation on a sailing boat, it's called leeway (the wind pushes the boat sideways - to the lee side or downwind side as well as forward) and it has to be estimated. That's one reason why long distance navigating was as much an art as a science. Much easier in these days of GPS that plots it for you. But now you've built yourself a delightful forest bathing trail. Think of how that will make life better, being able to walk your very own trail through a dense natural growth whenever you want to! It will be marvellous in spring when the rhododendrons are in bloom too. Allow yourself some leeway to take advantage of your new trail.
Thanks, Rosemary! I didn't know that's where the term leeway comes from. So I wonder where the phrase "give yourself some leeway" originated? Haha! I wish I had gotten that far on opening the trail, but my rather tight 360 means I'd just forest bathe in circles! But after this adventure I reached out to an arborist and asked about how to deal with all the dead growth, which I understand is cyclical. He said he's spent time with a naturalist who is an expert in Southern Appalachian forests, who explained that because of forest fire suppression the rhododendrons have become the dominant understory species in many regions and are shading out out native growth. I know from experience elsewhere on my land where I've cut them back to the ground that they come back nicely, so I may be clearing more than just a trail! Something to ponder.
It's the same origin. If you are making leeway in the boat and say, aiming to get past a headland, then you have to give yourself some leeway to get past it as the wind might push you on the rocks. That is, you have to sail a bit further out (nearer to the wind) to allow for the fact that the wind is pushing you sideways. It's like saying you need to give yourself a bit of extra space so that you don't hit the headland- or in your case, fall down the gorge .
I can 100% imagine this! It's so easy for a tangle to nudge you this way and that, while you're sure you're still "basically heading the same direction," and soon you're completely turned around! It's happened to us trying to line out our property boundaries in some brushy areas, and that's not even a rhododendron thicket 🤣
Love this. And took the same lesson from it (albeit I used more words when I restacked this).
Beautiful how you suffused the mundane with meaning :)
Wonderful essay, Marsha!