Navigating the Terrain Through Autistic Eyes

 

I come from a family that's above average fascinated by orienteering and outdoor life. Both in days of yore and in more recent times, we've racked up plenty of achievements in various outdoor pursuits, something both me and my family take pride in.

But as an autistic person, it hasn't always been easy keepin' up with the family's pace. This is probably because us folks on the spectrum tend to struggle with sleep and often have poor fine motor skills (which I make up for with some mighty fine gross motor skills!). But on the bright side, I'm good at keepin' myself on my feet!

My autism has also given me some unique characteristics and advantages. For instance, I have a unique ability to navigate and read the landscape, something I believe I can thank my autism for. Facts from maps stick in my mind like they're from an encyclopedia, and if I've been on a hike somewhere once, well, I remember every single nook and cranny!

And I've probably surprised many a stranger hiker who's asked for directions with my overly detailed knowledge. Instead of saying something like "keep following the trail for about 15 minutes" I tend to respond with a heap of details like:

"Go straight till you reach where the field ends, then take a left into a forest, cross a river with a bridge, then take a right along a gravel road where there's plenty of blueberries on your right, then there's a meadow where you head up to a clear-cut with loads of raspberries, cross the creek to a spot with heaps of lingonberries, and through a spruce forest and over a creek, till you hit a steep scree slope where the trail's made of rocks, and there's your lookout point you're after."

As you can see, I'm good at takin' in the terrain around me. I'm good at spotting even the tiniest cloudberries shining on bogs, and skilled at spotting chanterelles in the terrain, hidden under moss and heather.

Plus, I notice all the trash that's been thrown away.

Something I've also put to good use in my idealistic work of clearing forests and beaches of all sorts of rubbish.

Speaking of which, in my blog "Uncover The Beauty Of Norwegian Nature" you can read all about my best hiking tips :)

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