Fascination with trails/paths in the outdoors?

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I've always had this huge fascination with transportation pathways of any type, from train tracks to freeways. I have to say, though, that one of the biggest ones for me was when I found a trail or path in the woods or through a pasture. There was something obsessively interesting about these to me and I always had to follow them to see where they went.

I used to spend hours and hours building trails in the woods by our house when I was a kid. I would squat down and use my hands to clear away the leaves and debris on the ground to where I had a nice, dirt path. I would cover long distances like this.... sometimes cutting all the way from one side of the property to another. When I was old enough for my parents to let me use a machete, I'd clear out any small trees/bushes along the path. Once I got into big trouble for taking the lawn mower out there and mowing a trail through the woods (and really tearing up the blade).

I find that I still do enjoy observing rail roads, streets and paths, though I live in a city now and I have no woods around to build trails through. I was just wondering if anyone else had this interest and if it's just another one of those "Aspie" things.

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I have always had a deep love of outdoor trails and paths and, like you, I have to follow them to see where they go. It's not that I am very adventurous, I'm just a very curious individual who loves nature.

I think thats the best interest ever! My dad got me into going on long walks when I was very little and he loved to go 'off the beaten track', and now so do I. It's where you find all the interesting wildlife and I like the solitude to.

Do you ever look at a trail stretching into the woods and something you can't quite define about its appearance makes you desparate to explore it?

I also made a trail through the woods between my parents house and a friends house. Going by the road the friends house was half a mile away, but the short cut through the woods made it much less.

I do much the same thing with rivers in a canoe or kayak- any little creek that comes in needs to be explored as far as possible. Sometimes I get stuck when they are really narrow or shallow!
Tributaries in a watershed fascinate me.

Me too.

I like to get out in the woods and follow deer-trails, either on foot or on horseback. Don't do so much of it now as there are just too many people round here, but in Scotland and Sweden the forests were great for spending the day following trails and discovering shortcuts.

I don't like to leave a clear trail behind me, though, and will be careful not to break twigs underfoot or leave too many footprints together in the mud so it's difficult to track me. Hoofprints don't count

I love to find out where jeep trails and other obscure roads go, which is why I own a Jeep.

I also often can't resist following paths to see where they lead. Though, when I'm in the forest, I often slip into pathfinder/ranger mode and go off trail into the deep places of the wilderness. I like the notion of treading where (potentially) none have tread before. I've had some interesting adventures and discovered some rather unique and beautiful places when there was no path leading to them. I love, love, love to explore... And when I'm in the midst of nature, alone, I feel... At home, most at peace.

I love the wilds. Happily the Cascades near where I live offer lots and lots of deep wilderness. And I live right in the Issaquah Alps; because they are nestled right on the edge of civilization, the zillions of trails that crisscross them can be overly crowded for me (when I hike, I don't want to see a single other human), but they are still beautiful. Imagine going for daily morning runs up and down a mountain trail. Lately there has been a lot of fog and mist in the morning that makes such endeavors both beautiful and surreal; and I swear to the gods, there’s just something in mountain/forest air that is healing for the soul.

One of these days, I'm going to take a year off and hike the Pacific Crest Trail from Canada down to Mexico. (Yes, I've done a lot of research on this, and understand how arduous of an undertaking it is; the challenge is part of the allure. )

Good fortune,

- Icarus is a wild thing in the wilds...