Assume Nothing, Expect Anything
There was no uncertainty. I had to kill or be killed. Assisted by a surge of adrenalin and muscle memory I prepared my rifle, placed it in my shoulder and took aim. My sights neatly lined up with the Buffalo’s brain as I confidently squeezed the trigger with less than five paces between us.
Trails Guide ‘Dreamtime’
Aboriginal Australians have developed, and are bound by, highly complex belief systems that interconnects the land, spirituality, law, social life and care of the environment.
A Native Land Ethic
In 1854, the President of the United States in Washington (the “Great White Chief”) made a purchase offer for a large area of Indian land and promised a ‘reservation’ for the Indian people. Chief Seattle’s reply has been described as one of the most profound statement of modern environmental matters.
“How can you buy or sell the sky, the warmth of the land? The idea is strange to us. If we do not own the freshness of the air and sparkle of the water, how can you buy them?” -Chief Si’ahl
‘Three Command System’
George B. Shaw summed up the current status of the Trail Guides’ Brief when he said; “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place”. This greatly neglected, yet critical discussion between the Lead and Back-Up Trail Guides before a walking safari should include standard operational procedures (SOP’s) or ‘golden commands’ for a sudden situation or dangerous encounter.
Trail Junkie
Follow the journey of a recovering addict as he explores the origin of his compulsive behaviour. “I had to understand myself better. I had to understand you better. Why do Primitive Trails make us feel so good?”
