Walking with Chadd
Our journeys together are full. They are exciting. They are real. Chadd was a blessing in my life from the moment I met him and every day with him only gets better.
As I watch Chadd in his natural element - the woods - he is relaxed, at ease and at home. This blog is dedicated to what is seen on our journeys, be it a bird, a rock or a tree. But sometimes, watching Chadd in his work can be the most exciting for me.
My most fondest memories are with him, exploring. Adventuring. Discovering.
Chadd is walking along a ravine. Quietly. With awareness in each step as he navigates through fallen trees, sticks and brush, careful not to disturb the natural world around him.
A bird chirps in the distance, a squirrel sounds an alarm of his approaching. He stops, crouches and waits. His eyes in the trees ahead of him, wondering along the tops and slowly lowering to the bases of the pinions and eventually gazing steadily a few feet to his side. Tracks. Small indentations running a path alongside him. I watch him follow the trail with his eyes as he speculates the species. The story.
Chadd taught me each track has a story, and it's up to us to decipher it. To decode its elements and discover the journey of that animal.
I see a glimmer in his eyes and smile reach his face as he slowly moves forward along the trail to inspect scat that was left by the traveler.
I've seen this look many times before. And I will see it again, many times more.
Wildlife is Chadd's passion. It didn't take me long to learn that. Our natural world is a passion we both share and documenting our findings so we can share this passion with others.
Walking with Chadd means walking with wildlife. Respecting and appreciating this amazing place we live, and exploring and learning each environment to gain a better understanding of our world. From game trails, to following an insect, there are countless tracks to be discovered, to walk alongside, to learn from. Countless stories to be told.
"Who are you?" "Where are you going?" "Why?"
Questions... Questions to be answered.
I walk with Chadd, and learn how to answer them.
