I spent 2 years walking the same loop wrong until a dog walker pointed it out

Every morning I take a half-mile loop through the park near my house in Denver for my walk. I always went clockwise because that's how I started. Last Tuesday a lady with a golden retriever said hey you know there's a deer family in the far corner if you go counterclockwise instead. I tried it and suddenly saw a whole different side of the park I had been missing the whole time. Has anyone else realized they've been walking a route backwards or missing something obvious? What tipped you off?

3 comments

3 Comments

grace_campbell4d ago

I used to roll my eyes at people who acted like reversing a walk was some kind of spiritual awakening, so I get where casey_wood2 is coming from. But then I accidentally took the wrong turn at a trailhead last fall and found a whole section of woods I'd never seen, complete with a tiny waterfall. It really shook me because I'd been telling myself for years I knew every inch of that place. Now I make a point to flip my route every few weeks just to keep my brain from getting too comfortable.

pat_fisher244d ago

Man, are you my long lost twin? I did the exact same thing for almost a year with my neighborhood trail. Always went the same direction because that's how I started and never thought to just try the other way. Finally my neighbor's kid asked me why I always go left, so I tried going right and found this whole little creek area I had been walking past the whole time. It's funny how your brain just locks into a habit like that and you stop actually seeing what's around you.

casey_wood24d ago

I mean yeah, it's kind of funny but also not that deep. You probably missed a creek, it's not like you were missing out on buried treasure or something. I've walked the same loop in my neighborhood for years and I guarantee the other direction just shows you the same trees from a different angle. People act like switching up your route is some life changing experience, but it's really just a different view of the same stuff.