Sketching up landscapes of understanding

Logbook 17 Nov. 2017

If trains where free for musicians, when my feet turns the other way around, and trees talk

Text and drawings by Frits Ahlefeldt, Hiking.org

I’ve been drawing up thoughts and understandings today, wondering about things like trains, feet and sunsets, while sketching watercolors of what-ever came to my mind: Here are some of my thoughts:

Music is a strange thing, binding us together, almost as a kind of energy

Always been impressed by people playing an instrument, on the trails they can make an evening under the stars so much different. Music is a strange kind of energy. I’ve been working to understand things like ritual dances, Songlines, the roles of local musicians. Seems like almost anybody can enjoy music and plug into, like it was some kind of energy or engine

Train running on music, not coal, drawing by Frits Ahlefeldt — Is music what makes the world go around?

Sitting in a train watching people on screens, imagining it was instruments

the first thing people do around me when they enter the train is to pick up their phone or tablet and start watching, updating, listening or reading… checking into the train and out. Amazing all this is so new, nobody would do this only 15-20 years ago. Now it is more than 90% around me, and I struggle not to take out my phone too…

Drawing of a train with people watching phones and tablets — People in a train, everybody on their phones and tablets

Watching them and my craving to go digital – I wondered how much different it would be if, when-ever people entered a train they would take out their instruments instead:

Drawing of passengers in a train playing music — People in a train playing music, all on instruments instead of phones

The magical beginnings

When people start on a train journey or a hike, it is a magical moment, something special that is maybe better if shared. Maybe that is why I really like to see couple hiking together. Seems like starting out on an adventure together, in many ways must be very special… So I sketched that up too:

Couple hikers starting out together, holding on to the shared decision and getting ready — The magical moment of starting out on something together

When your feet wants to go the other way

Hiking solo is in some ways more challenging, there is less of a shared vision and more of an idea, that you need to convince your feet to follow, not only the first steps, but day after day. To me it can be one of the most challenging things of walking solo. Sometimes your feet wants to do something entirely else, like going home…

Hiker with feet walking the other way — Sometimes my feet just wants to go home…

Walking is about more than walking

So what do you do when your feet wants to take a different path? One of the best things I know to do, is to be quiet, and listen, not only to my feet, but taking a break. Just being… letting time pass, and waiting for my feet to come back around and for both them and me to find the rhythm again.