Wilderness Attunement : A Scavenger Hunt

Spring 2021

Five Senses Scavenger Hunt

Animal’s senses are acutely attuned to the forest. They have to be to survive, find food, escape predators and communicate with other wildlife. Our senses are no longer attuned to the forest as they once were when we needed that information to survive. Perhaps in gaining our safer, more predictable way of survival we have lost a secret language and sensory communion with the natural world?  Let's get curious about what the forest has to tell us. 

Begin a walk into the forest, a little slower than usual. First connect with yourself; bring your awareness inward and let your mind rest on your breathing for a few minutes. Slowly let your senses gently open and receive input from your surroundings. Try not to “reach out” with your senses but be softly receptive of the information coming to you. Then let your awareness rest on the feeling of your body walking. Follow with attention on your sense of smell, then taste, then sound and then sight of the forest. What do you notice, sense or feel that you usually aren't aware of in the forest?

Here’s a fun scavenger hunt to get you tuning into the forest with all of your senses:

☐ Look for one set of bunny tracks on the snow or mud. There will be 2 small footprints in the front and 2 longer ones in the back.

☐ Smell the bark of 2 trees. Walk until you find an aspen grove and smell the earthy, cinnamon like rich smell of the bark in early spring. Then walk until you find a pine tree with a patch of visible resin; inhale the sweet, rustic aromatics of the pine resin.

☐ Walk until you hear the “ca” of a crow. Pauses, close your eyes and simply listen. Repeat until you hear a total of 3 “ca”s.

☐ Taste the sweet, bitter, pungent flavors of 5 pine needles.

☐ Gather a few pine cones. Notice the coarse texture and find 5 parts of your body to explore the feeling of the pine cone touching your skin.

Words: Anne Heart

Photos: Jennifer Morgan Photography