Every Map Tells Two Stories

A map records more than where things are. It also preserves what someone noticed, valued, and thought was worth remembering.

Maps are funny things.

Most people think a map tells you where to go.

It does.

But that's only half the story.

Every map tells two stories.

The first is obvious.

It tells you where places are.

A creek.

A trail.

A hill.

A campsite.

A road.

It's a collection of lines and symbols that help you move from one place to another.

But the second story is the one I find far more interesting.

It tells you what someone thought was worth remembering.

Every map is a series of decisions.

Someone chose to draw that creek.

They decided that tree didn't matter, but that bend in the trail did.

They ignored hundreds of ordinary details and preserved the handful they believed would help someone else.

That's a surprisingly personal thing.

Two people could walk the exact same path and draw two completely different maps.

One might mark every stream crossing.

Another might note the best place to watch a sunset.

A wildlife photographer might remember where the light reaches a meadow first.

A backpacker might remember the reliable water source.

A child might remember the giant rock that looked like a bear.

None of those maps would be wrong.

They'd simply be telling different stories.

I think that's one reason I've always enjoyed hand-drawn maps more than perfect ones.

A printed map is wonderfully accurate.

A hand-drawn map feels like a conversation.

You can almost hear the person behind the pencil saying,

"Pay attention here."

"This mattered."

"Don't miss this."

Maybe that's why I keep sketching maps while developing Journeys Of The Crew.

Not because they need to be perfect.

Quite the opposite.

I like crooked lines.

Smudged pencil marks.

Notes squeezed into the margins after someone remembered one more thing.

Those little imperfections remind me that every map began as someone's experience.

Before it became paper...

It was an adventure.

Continue the Journey

For more about why I still prefer navigating with paper in hand, read Why I Still Carry a Paper Map.

For a reflection on the memories that become attached to particular places, read A Trail Worth Remembering.