This article is part of
Wilderness Way
VOLUME 12, ISSUE 1.
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You Are Only
Aware Of What
You Are Aware Of
by Dude Mclean
“Oh, I really pay attention to what’s going on around me. I’m very observant!” Or, “Everyone tells me I’m really observant. I always spot things they don’t see!”
How many times have you heard someone say these words or something similar? You might have even said them yourself…
How Do You Know?
Most hunters, hikers, campers, trackers, and all the outdoor
people think they are aware — and I mean, really aware — of
what is going on around them. Most are pretty good and some
are very good. The problem is that you really do not know
how aware you are. What? Well, how do you know if you missed
something, or a dozen important things. You are only aware
of what you are aware of!
Sure, you are aware of things you observe, but that is only
what “you” are aware of. Nobody is following you around to
point out the important information you have missed.
We Are, After All, Predators
I’ll betcha there are a whole bunch of you right now,
mumbling in your coffee: “This guy is full of hot owl crud.”
Let me clarify what I am talking about. Whether in the bush,
woods, desert, city, or in your suburban neighborhood,
movement is what catches our eye first. We are, after all,
predators, but we have lost or buried some of that intuitive
skill. Shape and color catches our eye when it does not fit.
If you are hunting, tracking, or taking photos, these
activities demand our attention. They all call for the upper
end of observational skills.
Tracking is about learning what to look for, to be aware of
your skills, and to use your “tools.” Not to be on top of
your game (no pun), not to be truly observant while
tracking, means you will not be successful in your quest.
Hunting: You had better see the critter first or it is just hot water for dinner tonight. Hunting with a weapon or a camera entails much of the same skills. You need a great shot. You earn those shots by being on the sharp edge of awareness. Surprise!!! Someone stepped out onto the trail, dead in front of you. Or worse, they were 6 feet behind you before you knew they were there. Be honest with yourself. Now it is just you, me, and “Wilderness Way.” How many times have you been in a “wow” state of mind? “Where did he come from?” Or, they just kind of showed up! The honesty part means admitting you were not as aware as you might have been or would like to be. Predators all have eyes on the front of their face, looking forward. We are primarily sight hunters. But hearing and learning to identify sounds is a skill to develop as well. Bushy-tails make a certain sound when they are alarmed; so do bluejays, and most other animals. To identify those sounds is a skill in awareness that you acquire with practice.
Smell is probably our weakest aware sense. Unless the odor
is overwhelming, most of us will not notice. Your sense of
smell can be “trained” and worked on by being aware and
concentrating. When we notice a smell, then we need to
follow up, identifying it, to see what it is.
A bear, a lion, a rat, and a bird’s nest all have distinctive odors. We all know a skunk smell. If we smell a steak or fish cooking, we can separate those smells. “Sexy” perfume we can identify. But we fail with the more subtle nuances of things that we just breathe in without it hitting our senses and brain, subtle odors that might say, “Wow, that’s a double-beaked, twisted-foot grass jumper.” You can work at it if you let your aware brain become sensitive to the smell and then identify it. It’s all a part of being aware.
Bring Out The Primitive
Time to bring out the primitive that most of us have buried
in our modern lives. Someone comes up behind you in the mall
and startles you. Play a game. Okay, you have been had. Tag,
you are it. This illustrates that we are used to being
around people and do not seem to notice when we are startled
by a stranger who, most of the time, is an innocent person,
doing his own thing. Use this to your advantage for our
private awareness class.
Make It A Game, A Personal Game
Start right now to improve and test yourself. Make it a game
until it becomes second nature. Being aware is a skill you
can work on all the time. Right now — do not dare look up
from reading this article. How many lights are on in your
home? What color shirt does the person closest to you have
on? What is on the front cover of this magazine?
Use those experiences in your everyday life to sharpen your awareness skills. Keep score for a few weeks. How many times were you surprised or startled? Do not be in denial about this. Do not fool yourself. Be brutally honest with yourself. I will take bets that you will be amazed by the number of times someone gets you.
A Lesson Learned From My Dog
My dog, a 110 pound Akita who fears nothing, never just
steps outside. She stops in the doorway and observes
everything, looks both ways before she commits to moving out
through the door, like the head samurai in Kurasawa’s “Seven
Samurai.” I like that, not moving blindly into an unknown
situation. Most of us feel comfortable in our own
environment, moving outside to retrieve a newspaper or going
out to our car. I like what I have learned from my dog —
being aware of what is there.
Improve By Practice
Practice being aware. The concentration to remain being
aware is more difficult than you may think. But being aware
is a skill you can work on, no matter where you are or what
you are doing. Once you are in the “habit” and the mindset
is firmly planted, you can easily make the transition to the
woods and the bush.
I had a friend who was blind in one eye, but he saw more and quicker than anyone I know. Maybe it is because he was blind in one eye, so he overcompensated, but all I know for sure is that he was one of the most aware men that I ever had the pleasure to be on the trail with.
Being aware is a skill that can be honed. It does not cost you a thing. Even practicing for 1-hour a day will gets you in touch with one of the most basic and primitive of all skills. And that’s the Wilderness Way.
Remember, you are only aware of what you are aware of.
