My enjoyment from hiking began early in life. On the farm hiking was somewhat of a necessity to routinely walk the fence rows keeping any obstructions from bringing the fence down and letting the cattle out. I always enjoyed just walking around the place, going across an open field to enter a wooded area and then just make my own journey as I wandered around. Using landmarks such as the creek and the direction it flowed, there was little concern of becoming lost, trusting in the. I put my trust in the reliable course of natures elements to guide me back out of the woods into the open fields and back home again. Deep in the farthest corners of the farm I even had a favorite tree that I would climb up in and sit on one of its large old limbs for hours, watching the deer come by and take a drink from the stream that ran near the base of it.

Some routes I took were traveled more frequently than others which allowed me to develop a sense of familiarity with the surrounding trees, rock formations, and...