The drawing above is some kind of response to being lost in the woods.
There are basically three sections to the ‘neutral zone’ in this wilding experiment, the bottom, the middle and the top. The top is actually the southernmost point but it sounds as if it should the northernmost, some kind of pre-conditioning makes us put The North at the top, but it is on the highest ground in that part of the woods. I planned to walk the top section as I had not done this for ages. We parked in Clowes Wood and crossed over the Radfall Road to get to it and wandered into a wonderful golden place with mostly Sweet Chestnut trees with a massive yellow impact, I was totally immersed in yellow, a great feeling though I was beginning to realisie that there was no sign of a path. I knew this was likely to happen but knew I would eventually come out on a path I knew. There are two roads either side to form the apex of a triangle with a footpath along the base of this triangle so if it went really wrong, I would come out somewhere familiar.
However after walking for ten minutes still with no appearance of a path, just striking out across more and more of limitless yellow chestnut trees it does begin to feel a little uncomfortable and the effect of an exhilarating yellow bath was wearing off now. It doesn’t make much difference to Fred I think he just lets me decide the general direction while he covers a lot more ground than me to the left and right, front and back ignorant that finding a path is becoming a high priority. May-be I hadn’t taken something into account? I knew this not to be true and, in the end we came out exactly where I thought I would on the base of the triangle. I also know there is another path which would take me back into ‘the interior’ and loop round in a big arc bringing me eventually back onto this path I am on now. Relaxed now and wanting to relive the whole yellow experience again I turned along this path and walked back ‘In’. A few hundred yards in I had lost the path already the fallen leaves covering the ground and providing no clue to where the path really was. The greens, yellows, and yellow ochres were fantastic but as time passed, I wanted the path back. I did find it and enjoyed the security for a short time, but it wasn’t long before it was gone again and the brown blanket of leaves taking away all references I had brought with me in my memory. It was really gone now and I wasn’t enjoying the yellow anymore. I was back on it at last, no I don’t think I am, yes surely that is the tight corner where the plank goes over the stream, no its not there. Where’s Fred? This doesn’t look familiar at all. Where’s Fred. FRED. I was in a scene from ‘The Shining’ or something similar. Then this is when you think you might stumble across someone who is badly injured, crashed their car last night and been wandering the woods all night with a broken leg torn cloths and bleeding from the temple hysterical and desperate for your help. Where is Fred FRED? Then that person faded away and I imagine a Roman Centurion on a black horse. I never see many birds in the woods but that is defiantly a blackbird and that noise I can hear in the undergrowth is defiantly Fred. He’s back and wants a dog treat for coming back after leaving me to face a range of dark characters produced by my imagination. I give him a treat and can see through the trees a slight change in the colour of the trees in the far distance, denser greener trees. Surely I will be on my original path soon?
