Remember as a kid when
you were asked by the teacher to stand in a single file line so the class could
walk the few steps to the gym for P.E.? P.E.-wohoo! Of course, you were more than willing to
comply. The line would begin as a
straight line but the more students, who stacked behind one another, the line would
begin to curve. We all wanted to see
what the first person in line would see.
The first person had a huge advantage and would not experience any elements
of surprise, if any were to develop. Not
only does the line begin to curve, now the teacher demands that the line be
straightened out. Yet, the teacher
requests all to review an item directly in front of her-pffft! This is a similar scenario, I experience when
walking behind my husband when hunting.
Hunting last fall, we
spot a buck chasing a potential mate.
Jim, our youngest, and I exit our vehicle and quietly start our march
towards them. Jim signals to us to
follow him so that we can appear as one unit rather than three up-right
figures. As we walk in a single-file
line in the bottom of a ditch, Jim stops suddenly. Then, he gets on his knees. He turns to us and suggests for both me and
our youngest to imitate his behavior.
His comment completely makes me giggle…quietly of course. I reply with, “seriously, you are on your knees and looking at me eye-to-eye! I’m rather positive that they are NOT seeing
me.”
Stalking in the ditch bottom as we play follow-the-leader.
This isn’t the only time playing
follow-the-leader has resulted in a comical Abbot and Costello moment.
Another incident
occurred during a slight snow storm. Well,
it was a slight snow storm for me! Jim
and I are out together alone this time. Since
it was a weekday, our girls were in school.
Jim and I spot a buck and a doe peaking outside of some willows. We exit our vehicle once again. A previous snow storm’s deposit was still
present on the ground. We play another
game of follow-the-leader. As we are
marching towards the area of interest, I begin to experience a mild-ground
blizzard. My visibility is nonexistent
as I follow Jim towards the destine area.
Thankfully, I have on extra gear in addition to the required orange such
as a stocking cap, a few pairs of gloves, and a wonderful face mask.
A slight relief
overwhelms me when I notice Jim abruptly stops.
Well it appeared that he abruptly stops.
He turns towards me to check if I am behind him and begins to silently
giggle. I am aware that his face doesn’t
appear as though it is chilly from the mild-ground blizzard like mine is. My hair that is noticeably peeking from under
my hat is soaking wet and I can feel the water droplets on my eyelashes. My
cheeks are cold and red. It is at this
point that I realize that there is no ground blizzard! While we were playing follow-the-leader, Ol’
Big-Foot had been making the snow deposits from on the ground become airborne impacting
my vision and dampening my hair, my eye lashes, and making me chilly!
Oh, there’s more! This past week, we are enjoying the scenery
for opening season. It is a beautiful day regardless of the
breeze. Though, we are excited that the
usual 60+mph wind has not surfaced as we attempt to cut-off two bucks we had spotted. Jim parks our vehicle and we decide to walk
to a piece of farm equipment we notice lying a distance ahead of the grazing
bucks. Once we reach the piece of
equipment. We sit behind it. Using his range finder, Jim tells me we are
700+ yards away. If we close the
distance between us and the bucks, the field is large and there is no other
cover available to use. Additionally,
the wind is not in our favor. We decide
to take the challenge.
Slowly, we creep away
from the farm equipment to a distance we view only the tip of the backs of the bucks. We stand at the back of a small hill. Jim suggests for us to crouch when we walk so
that the bucks do not notice two standing figures. In a hunched stance, he takes off up the hill. I mimic his posture and I attempt to follow
him. For every one step he takes, I have
to take four steps. Gradually, I begin
to lose my breath, hoping that I am close to the finish line of this apparent
marathon I have been participating in against my will! Jim stops and peers over the hill. He points in the general direction in which
the bucks are now located. Jim tells me
to look and takes another peek into his range finder. As he is doing so, I must take another 15 steps
past him…yes, FIFTEEN steps so that I can see what he is viewing fifteen steps
behind me!
Despite the advantage to
walk upright while stalking in a ditch, playing follow-the-leader has a number
of downfalls. From unable to sprint up
the side of a hill, to visibility issues during ground blizzards, to climbing
over fences in a single bound, each adventure results in creative solutions for
those who struggle with height challenges.
Keep in mind the next time you are in a situation that requires you to play
follow-the-leader that the person in front of you may have an advantageous view
but the one behind the leader is definitely taking blog-material notes!
A hunting we will go; a hunting we will go (<sing to the tune of Farmer in the Dell)
Oh the plights of the vertically challenged.
ReplyDelete