I can’t imagine now going on the road without a GPS… and that’s because I/we allow technology to suck up our lives. It’s no strange that they recently connected the brain on the internet…
Though what happened before we had GPS and maps is another reason why they can be such great guides. When technology was not yet available, how did people find their way in the woods?
There appears to be a story behind bent trees that relates to the hidden secrets found in nature.
As stated in the national American Forests website:
Across the U.S., you can find trees that are oddly shaped. Their trunks have odd kinks in them, or bend at strange angles. While some of them may indeed be simple quirks of nature, most of these trees are actually landmarks that helped guide indigenous people on their way. Native Americans would bend young trees to create permanent trail markers, designating safe paths through rough country and pointing travelers toward water, food or other important landmarks. Over the years, the trees have grown, keeping their original shape, but with their purpose all but forgotten as modern life sprang up around them. Today, we may not need these “trail trees” to navigate, but their place in history makes them invaluable. Imagine the stories these trees could tell.
Yes… we know there are many bent and oddly shaped trees made by Mother Nature, but there are few things Native Americans did that divided them, and lost wanderers could recognize the man-made from the ones that were made by Mother Nature.
For instance, a lot of the trees in the forest, like the one in the above image, can be naturally bent. However, the trees that the Native Americans bent many years ago have a prominent nose, or notch, that protrudes at the end of the bend (see below).
This was made by growing the tree around a section of the tree that was inserted into a hole.
In addition to the nose, there’s another small detail that can help you distinguish nature’s wonder and man-made bent trees. If you look at the top part of the inner bed, you’ll also be able to see scars from where the straps were placed when the trees were young.
Many of these trees are 150-200 years old, but as we know there are many things we as people do that massively destroy Nature. One of them is the expanding population, and probably in the near future these trees will be “timbered”…
That’s why the Mountain Stewards website was created. The site mapped out more than 1,000 bent trees all over the country and documented exactly where they were!
I hope that both young and old will make a beeline for these amazing pieces of American history before they disappear!
