The Trail Less Traveled

Tree, Roots & Rock Formation
Garden of the Gods,
Colorado Springs, CO
B&W - Samsung Galaxy s6

After my incomparable experience at Carlsbad Caverns National Park on a Sunday, I was hoping the Sunday following the Tiny House Jamboree would boast similar results at the Garden of the Gods. That hope was in vain. Maybe if I had gotten up at dawn, but that wasn't to be either.

It's obvious that some people find comfort being in a crowd of people and if I were people watching, this was an excellent opportunity. But I wasn't at Garden of Gods to see people. Like the thousands of others there on Sunday, I wanted to witness the artistry of the Earth. I couldn't fault these people for wanting to see the same visions I did, but I wanted to.

Rather than pout at the people crowding the trails, I took Robert Frost's advice. When the crowd surged right at the trail fork, I went left. As the tides changed and the school shifted right, I went left. When I got stuck in a flock, I slowed down until it passed.

Being with people doesn't usually bother me, especially if I'm traveling with other people. Having companions, either friends, family or strangers is part of the experience and it's built in to my expectations. However, I have noticed that when I solo travel, I have less of a desire or threshold for engaging with others. Hence my annoyance at all the people in my way.

What I failed to realize until the next day, all those people were pushing me away from the popular scenes and forcing me to venture out into parts of Garden of the Gods that I would not have otherwise visited. When I slowed down to let a group pass, I saw more beauty. Because groups were blocking paths, I often made loops twice to take in the whole view - enriching my experience.

Garden of the Gods is a visual and physical experience. I posted pictures in an earlier blog article, Garden of the Gods. The reality is, it's hard to take a bad picture here because every angle is unique and beautiful.

Again, thanks to the mass of people, I learned to stop and rather than tap my foot impatiently for the group to pass, I stood and looked around myself. I didn't just stare straight ahead. I turned my head from side to side, up and down, and turned my body completely around 360 degrees. I found myself backtracking, thinking, "How did I miss that?"

Prior to this adventure, I would have considered myself an attentive person with a visual awareness of the world around me. Now, I'm not so sure. It took these moments to show me that I had indeed fallen into a trap of looking straight ahead, keeping my eye on the ball, and other similar euphemisms. This is not to say that looking ahead is a bad trait. Think about it. A human's most natural motion is forward. The human head easily rest in a position that provides a clear front view.

 Even though the forward motions and views are the most natural, humans can and do move in other directions. Side to side. Up and down. Reverse.

More valuable than witness the beauty of Garden of the Gods, I was reminded that my straight ahead approach needs to be balanced out with patience and awareness of what I have passed by.

"...I took the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." ~ Robert Frost