Saturday, May 2, 2015

Territories we foolishly vowed to own

I walked today for two hours in Nuuksio, starting from the parking place at Pirttimäki. I have done quite a lot of walking in this area, but mostly following the wide marked paths. This time I explored north parts of the area, walking to lake Pitkäjärvi, and from there along the swamp to lake Hynkänlampi and then back to the parking place via lake Sultingsträsk.

I'm not very good with the map and compass, mainly because I'm forgetting to pay attention to orienteering. But during the years I have learned not to panic when I'm lost, in fact I usually enjoy the feeling of not knowing where I am. Nowadays I could of course use the GPS in my phone, but that would be cheating.

This time I explored unknown territory, and it felt good. Between lake Pitkäjärvi and lake Hynkänlampi I met two men who were running across the swamp, and talking with each other while running. But otherwise the area seemed to be empty of people.

(Posting title is from the poem Old Territory. New Maps. by Deborah A. Miranda.)

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