Practice slowing all your movements down by 50% and take a few steps. This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. When putting your foot on the ground, connect the outer edge first, then roll the rest of the foot down until the sole touches the ground. What are your favorite strategies for walking silently in the woods? You should be used to hearing me say this by now . Going barefoot enables your feet to conform most naturally to the forest floor. Great read. You can use leather moccasins, water-shoes, or any thin/soft-padded shoe like Vibrams. The more you practice walking silently at a slow pace, eventually you’ll find you can speed up again while still maintaining that silent movement. It also enables you to take advantage of sound shadows like blowing gusts of wind, or momentary outbursts from territorial birds. Your feet are your eyes for seeing the ground. With all of this, the best results come from long-term practices. Eventually practice keeping your weight grounded in at least 1 foot at all times. Share on LinkedIn. Slowing down will have the natural effect of making you more aware of your body. Last Updated: November 5, 2020 Share on Twitter. There may still be times when you want to move quickly and silently at the same time. Walking barefoot is the most quiet choice, but is usually too painful over rough terrain for most people. All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published. There are times when it’s necessary to move through woodlands silently: when hunting game … and when you don’t want to give away your position are just two. Also, learn to “see” and feel with your feet, too — which is a skill you’ll develop over time. The cloth will muffle most of the noise. Staring at the ground gives a sense of fast results because you’re using your eyes to pick and choose the best spots to step for optimal quietness… but the losses are too great for this to be a good strategy. More art than science, actually. This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. It’s all about how to make amazing observations in nature. As long as you don’t violate the bird’s comfort zone, birds will respond to your body movements, eye contact, overall energy… and circle around you. All the home learning products in my online store come with a money-back guarantee and cover unique aspects of the holistic deep nature connection journey from bird language & naturalist intelligence to mindfulness & goal-setting. If you’ve ever tried walking barefoot in the forest, then you probably noticed there’s an immediate instinct to slow down (to avoid hurting your feet). To walk silently, assess the terrain and determine which path is the quietest. he more balance you have, the more flexibility of step & awareness you’ll have. I’ve heard tales of city kids who never stepped foot off concrete, being physically unable to walk in a forest without losing balance because they were so conditioned to hard, flat surfaces. The first step is to learn how to move silently. Yes, at first it can be, but it doesn’t have to be. You can tell a lot about a person by how they walk. This helps to ensure you’re balancing movement with open sensory awareness. You can think of slowing down as both a technique you can use in the moment, and also a training exercise. Something you might notice as you stop staring at your feet and practicing keeping your eyes up is that without your visual sense staring at your feet, you feel very uncoordinated. But there is no great secret about it. If you are in an area with bears or other dangerous wildlife, make enough noise to give wildlife time to move away from your path. A normal city walking pace is equivalent to running in the forest. That’s what happens to feet when you constantly wear shoes or boots! The last thing I’ll mention is a super helpful training exercise for all the above skills. If you’d like to learn more about bird language, I have a short series of videos that will introduce you to some core concepts in the Bird Language Adventure series. Share your videos with friends, family, and the world. When you stare at the ground, you miss the deer up ahead. Fox Walk - How To Walk Silently Through The Woods. Ninja Tactic 2 : Walk Over a Piece of Cloth. Be smart about this. But each time you practice, you will see progress! Sudden exposure to sunlight can trigger a sneeze. One of the most important tips I can give you is to simply practice slowing down. ), 6 Excellent Nature Awareness Questions To Ask Outside, 12 Easy Ways To Navigate Without A Compass, How To See Animals: Easy Wildlife Viewing Techniques, Nature Awareness Journey: How The Forest Can Change Your Life, 22 Nature Connection Activities For Sharing Nature With Beginners, How To Spend More Time Outside (And Make Every Minute Count!). November 4, 2020 by admin 0 Comments. Learning to walk quietly will allow you to get close to the beautiful animals you want to observe, maybe even close enough for a memorable photograph. If you want to learn how to move silently in the forest, practice moving silently in the forest. There are times when it’s actually quite easy to blend in with the overall noise level. Tread on live grass or bare dirt. Most people rely too heavily on their visual sense for keeping balance. It was common for me to cross paths with wildlife in these woods, though the ravine was boxed in on all sides by dense suburbs. You’ll get to know which birds are disturbed by your presence (like robins, doves, grouse, sparrows & juncos) and which birds don’t seem to mind having you around (like chickadees). Place your foot down on the outer edge first, then roll the rest of your sole down until it touches the ground. Hey, after many requests, I've decided to post an easy tutorial on how to read qr codes. Whether you are trying to move silently through the woods or you have got home late and trying not to wake your partner. Or take a route through the pines? It’s also one of the best ways to deepen your relationship with nature. Boots or shoes with light, flexible soles make the least amount of noise in the forest. Cats take a few steps then pause, look, listen before taking a few more steps. 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