American Bushman

"If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write things worth reading or do things worth writing." —Benjamin Franklin

Thursday, February 01, 2007

Lost? Look around.

The compass goldenrod is one of nature's great resources for the lost hiker. Even in winter this flowering plant's woody stalk can be seen sticking up through the snow.

Ernest Thompson Seton writes about the Compass Goldenrod in his "Woodland Tales:"
So the slender Goldenrod and his brothers rejoiced and they stood up straight, facing the noon sun, and bent backward, throwing out their chests till their golden caps and plumes were pointed to the north.

Now that doesn't mean that they're all going to point North all the time. But, if you can find a cluster of them while you're wandering you should be able to establish a pretty darned good idea of which way is North.

Thanks for reading,

B

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