MY NATURE APPS

Being the Twitter pro that I am, I've had the opportunity to meet A LOT of great people.  One of those people is Jeff Greco. You can follow Jeff on Twitter @MyNatureApps.  Jeff lives in the Adirondack Mountains in northern New York. He attended college in the early 80's receiving a degree in Environmental Science. Always posessing and interest in the outdoors, he started North Woods Field Guides Inc. in 1999 and most recently, My Nature Inc., which designs nature applications for the growing smart phone market. Jeff is self employed in the construction field. He spends his free time outdoors pursuing the many interests that Nature has to offer.
I've asked Jeff to guest blog and he has graciously accepted. You can find out more about Jeff and his smart phone apps at: http://www.mynaturesite.com/.  And if you click on "News & Info" at the top of the screen, you'll find a mini blog filled with tips and tricks to be used in the great outdoors!  It is with great pleasure, I introduce you to Jeff Greco...

NOVEMBER 30, 2010

GETTING THERE.....

I'm not sure when it happened, I wasn't really paying attention. I can't tell you what year it was, how old I was or even where I was when my life changed, but it did change and it changed for the better. I remember years ago I was such a focused person, I picked a place to hike to and that's where I went. No stopping in between, no veering off the trail--I wanted to make the summit, that's why I was there. If I was hunting deer I was concentrating on deer and nothing else. I wouldn't stop to admire a wildflower or take in the view. I was always scanning the woods line, never letting my guard down, a deer could appear at any moment and I wanted to be ready. When I think back on all those years I hunted, on all those summits I climbed, there's nothing that stands out in my mind about what happened between getting from point A to point B. I remember the finality of each outing, the game taken or the view from a peak but nothing in between. I had never taken the time to just stop and enjoy nature.

I see so much of this behavior today in others; disappointment in not getting a deer, not catching a fish, flying down a trail to get to the end and they just don"t realize how much they're missing in between. Nowadays when I hunt or hike it's more of a secondary activity to what I'm really doing and that's just.......... nothing!!

 

I've found my time spent outdoors now is more rewarding than it's ever been in my life and the only reason that is, is because I don't care if I get anywhere. I don't care if I catch a fish, I don't care if I shoot a deer. All the things in between are what I now seek. Twice this year I have set out to reach Round Pond, I had never been there in my life and still haven't. The first attempt was last February on snowshoes--a 2.5 mile jaunt, I think I made it a little more than a mile when I came across a spot where a hawk had unsuccessfully tried to take down a Snowshoe Hare. It was a hell of a fight and the hare had managed to escape but was leaving a blood trail that begged me to follow. One thing led to another and then to far off pond, to an Otter slide to coyote sign to this and that but never led me to Round Pond. It was one of the best snowshoe trips I had ever been on.
I tried a second time in September to get all the way in but was soon overtaken by a set of  Moose tracks. The third time may be a charm but you know what? I've had more fun trying to get there than I probably would have had I got there.

We should all slow down just a tad, don't let one task consume you, stop and "smell the roses", as they say. It's not so much "did you get your deer?" that's important, it's all that stuff on the way. All those things you step over, duck under, go around. What are they? what do they do? Take the time to ask and take the time to find out the answers, get off the beaten path and explore the woods beyond the trail. You might just find what you weren't looking for and have the most memorable day of your life!!