I began studying tracking over a decade ago. I was very fortunate to find a master tracker brought up under the Apache method of tracking who was willing to teach me. I have since branched out and found other teachers and trackers to work and study with, but my background, my foundation is in the Apache lineage. This lineage is why awareness is such an important part of tracking for me. Awareness isn't easy to define, but at its core it is about observational skills and critical thinking. Do I have the ability to see the tracks around me as well as make sense of them, understand the stories they tell? Or am I just passively moving from one point to the next, oblivious to what's going on around me?
Understanding how to expand my awareness, to be able to see and understand everything that's happening around me, this is what draws me to tracking. If tracking were simply about finding an animal’s footprints and following its movements, I would not have invested so much of my time and energy into it. I use tracking as a vehicle, a means of testing my awareness skills. Do I notice and can I make sense of the puzzle pieces around me? Awareness is a skill, and like any skill it can be refined and improved upon.
I use my awareness skills every day, in all aspects of my life, and I feel I’m a better person for it. What I’m attempting to do with these cards is share what I’ve learned. Tracking and awareness is a complex subject, but hopefully I’ve provided enough of a foundation to allow you to begin your own journey.
