The World’s Greatest Tracker
You are walking through the woods, and you see a deer just off the path. You freeze in your tracks!
You approach the animal slowly, your heart beating faster with every step, until you know that you can reach out and touch it. But you stop short to avoid startling it. Eventually, the deer wanders off.
How did you do this without the deer sensing your presence and bolting?
It’s simple if you know the secrets of trackers. It’s nearly impossible if you don’t.
While there are undoubtedly many ways to acquire knowledge of how to track and approach animals, enhance your enjoyment of nature, and, if necessary, survive in the wilderness, one of the easiest and most pleasurable is to read the books of Tom Brown Jr.—arguably the world’s greatest tracker.
Starting with The Tracker, which is “the true story of Tom Brown Jr.,” a “most powerful and magical high spiritual adventure,” and my personal favorite, and continuing with a long list of titles, such as The Search, The Vision, The Quest, The Journey, The Science and Art of Tracking, and a host of survival guides, Tom Brown Jr. has written a variety of books of potential interest to people who want to heighten their awareness and enjoyment of the outdoors.
Lest you think that this stuff is for the hard core alone, let me assure you that the information passed on is of great value to anyone who enjoys a good walk in the woods or drive in the country. In fact, Tom, when not helping the FBI to track down a missing person or otherwise engaged in amazing (to mere mortals like myself) wilderness adventures, volunteers his time to teach children in schools and scouts in area troops the wonders of nature and ways to enjoy it more.
To whet your appetite some more, here is an excerpt from page 1 of The Tracker:
“The first track is the end of a string. At the far end, a being is moving; a mystery, dropping a hint about itself every so many feet, telling you more and more about itself until you can almost see it, even before you come to it. The mystery reveals itself slowly, track by track, giving its genealogy early to coax you in. Further on, it will tell you the intimate details of its life and work, until you know the maker of the track like a lifelong friend.”
If you have children and you want to introduce them to the wonders of nature, giving them each a copy of this book is a marvelous way to do it.
If you are interested in nature and want to learn more about the ways of Native American scouts, besides reading The Tracker (which you should read before any of Tom’s other books), I recommend that you visit Tom Brown Jr.’s web site (www.trackerschool.com).
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