[at-l] Walking & Seeing

[dragginanchor@earthlink.net (Draggin' Anchor)]

I know this won't rank up there with wisest filter selection or a discussion
on the weight to warmth merits of various three season bags but I've been
wondering recently how to enhance my looking vs seeing ratio while hiking.

It is important to me to actually see certain things while hiking.  I *must*
see rocks in the trail, snakes on the path, roots waiting to trip me up.
I'd *like* to see critters in the woods, birds overhead, uniquely shaped
trees, colorful flowers and the like.

How do you manage to integrate the must with the like category?

I've tried to discipline myself to keep my eyes moving in an oval shaped
pattern - sort of like a huge football suspended in the air three yards in
front of me but I find I only do it when I'm conscious of it.  What actually
happens is that I unconsciously become focused on the trail in front of my
feet, especially when hiking in the autumn when the leaves conceal the
hazards and I forget about looking to the sides and above.

I read your trip reports.  You guys see deer and bears and birds and flowers
and rock formations and other hikers taking breaks off the trail.  I seldom
(if ever) do.

Granted, I'm somewhat handicapped by my inability to hear well. (Explosion,
actually implosion, damage.)  Never ending tinnitus in both ears,
practically
no hearing at all to my right, degraded hearing to my left.  All sounds seem
like they emanate from slightly behind my left shoulder giving me no
directional clue at all when I am able to detect nearby sounds in the
vicinity - - all the more reason to discipline myself to adhere to a viewing
pattern.

Anyhow,  do y'all have a system of some sort, conscious or unconscious,
which you follow?  If not, how do you manage to really see all that you do?

Al (Draggin' Anchor)
Please note the change to my EMail address:
DragginAnchor@earthlink.net