Finding The Small Details of Forest Life

I found a something for you mom! Deer poop!

Over the years, I have tried to engage Mia into as much of our natural surrounding as possible. One of the greatest ways to have her connect with all of this life, was to look for signs of life.

When Mia started hiking on her own two feet, she seemed to show little interest in paying attention to the small details of the outdoors. (She was actually paying attention to more than I had originally thought) She would explore as much as she could on foot, running down the path, never even entering into the taller grasses and ferns to the sides of the trails.

Throughout 2012, I have focused on getting Mia off of the trail and into the wild growth, which has helped her learn to pay more attention to her surroundings. It started early in the year with snowshoeing. It took her a bit to get comfortable in the overly large frames that were attached to her feet. But once she did, it was smooth sailing from there. When I tried to get her off of the trail, and into rabbit territory, she wanted no part of it, shoeing away from me further up on the trail.

Much of the same happened when the snow melted. I wanted her to explore the new growth that was offered to us in the woods, so we went on a fiddle heading adventure. She wanted to head up the trail in search of a bridge, a brook, or both, to watch before moving on. Oh, well, I knew it would take a bit to get her comfortable with off trail exploration. At least she is happy out here.

So over the course of the year, I continually but slowly hauled her off of the beaten path, and into the lush ferns, grasses, pines and birches of the woods. And slowly, she came into her own.

Forget the trail, it's much more interesting in here!

The greatest draw in getting Mia to want to explore the more intricate parts of the forest, was getting her to pay attention to the fine details. Every pile of deer droppings I came across, I brought Mia towards it to show her what it was, and told her why it was there. I did the same with animal tracks, and other animal droppings that we found. We pulled rocks away from the earth to search for bugs, watched fallen stumps for chipmunks, touched flowers and leaves, and fished to pull aquatic creatures into our realm.

I showed her everything. Even when I thought she wasn't paying attention, because over the years, I've learned that even though it might not seem like Mia is looking at what's going on around her, she is. Most kids with Autism do this also. They survey their surroundings without looking at everything head on, like most people do.

Earlier this fall, Mia did something that made me realize just how much she had been paying attention to mom's relentless banter in the woods. First, she started walking off of the trail, all on her own. Then, she grabbed my hand, and hauled me into the woods behind her. She walked through the woods like a woman on a mission. And what she did next surprised the heck out of me.

Right before my very eyes, Mia stopped, looking intently at the ground. She bent over, reaching her hand out to towards the cool earth floor. When she stood back up, she giggled, and walked to me with her hand formed into a fist, arm thrust in my direction. I instinctively put my hand out, ready to take the usual pine needle or a leaf that she had picked up. When she placed her hand in mine, and opened her fist, I found that she had picked up several pieces of deer droppings!

Mia is headed for the ridge! Could mom's deer hunting skills have be genetically instilled in this little trekker?!

This means that now while we're out in the woods, she's not just looking at random things, or waiting for mom to show her something. SHE is looking, REALLY looking, for things to show me!She stopped at deer tracks when they were plainly visible. When we camped in White Mountain National Forest, she found a coyote track in the sand by the river, and waited for me to investigate it with her! She is connecting to her environment, to her surroundings.

Mia is now navigating the woods almost completely on her own. She heads into the woods and leads the way, watching where she places her feet, making sure there's enough room for her head to clear, and pushes branches out of the way as she passes through the brush. She stops at brooks, and looks into the water watching for anything that will pass. She sits on the ground with me and listens to birds, scurrying rodents, and rustling leaves in the wind. And yes, she notices animal dropping and tracks!

It's the finer details in life that people miss out on most in the busy concrete world. Out here, among natures finest, it is almost impossible to ignore even the smallest of details. Mia has come a long way in paying attention to the world around her, and our involvement in the outdoors has obviously played a huge role in this success!

It's so much fun out here! Let's go this way!