Deadheading

Forester's have their own lingo. Special terms that outsiders are not likely to understand without explanation. One of these is "the deadhead."

Most foresters hate the deadhead.

When foresters cruise timber (there's another one--it refers to taking an inventory of trees), they walk "lines" back and forth across the terrain from property line to property line. The lines are spaced at predetermined intervals. The cruiser stops at points along each line and measures all the trees in a specified area. The idea is to take a sample of trees to estimate the total.

Occasionally the design of the cruise creates an "odd" line. This means a walk back across ground already covered. It is exertion with no purpose other than to return to the starting point. Kind of like going shopping in a large store, methodically moving down each aisle as you shop, then having to follow that same route back to the start.

Like I said, we hate it. It is time and energy expended without financial compensation.

Life, sometimes, is a bit like a deadhead. We find ourselves running over the same old ground, with no noticeable progress. We may even believe we are progressing toward a goal--some destination--only to find that we have been moving back and forth on the same old trail. And we all know that a path traveled too frequently will eventually become a rut from the wear.

The worst kind of deadhead is one that you walk alone.

If you ever find yourself in a deadhead, I hope that there will be someone alongside to make the journey more tolerable: a coworker, a friend, a loved one, or maybe just a memory to keep you moving. Because the rut can get awfully deep when you walk it alone.

I know. I've done it.