The surprise that comes at the end of our comfort zone

Note: Capt. Kirk is on leave for a while. In the meantime, enjoy a version of this classic from our archives.

Those of you who like to explore new areas are used to coming to a fork in the road. For most people, the easiest choice is to take the route most familiar to us.

Whether we are driving, biking, hiking or boating, we associate familiarity with comfort.

It’s not comfortable traveling a dark road at night in the pouring rain when your gas tank is close to empty. But if you are familiar with the road and know that just up ahead is a 24-hour gas station, you have a degree of comfort.

Being in the outdoors means having to deal with variables. Weather, terrain, wildlife and other factors will readjust your comfort zone.

I used to live in Oregon by the coastal region of the Pacific Northwest. West of the Cascade Range is a rainforest — not a steamy tropical jungle, but a temperate rainforest. Hiking the trails through huge pines and cedar trees covered with moss and thick vegetation dripping with moisture is an invigorating trek. Some of the trails are well-worn, but others are so overgrown that the average person wouldn’t even notice them.

Those more hidden trails are the ones I like to take.

This is not the place for a casual walk. The path is slippery, as the rocks are covered with lichens and thick green moss. Dark, slimy-looking salamanders and frogs scurry out of your way.

Laser beams of sunshine coming through the thick canopy of Douglas fir and hemlock trees light certain spots on the ground, and you halfway expect to see a live gnome or troll looking back at you.

Fallow trees sometimes block the trail. These huge, old-growth trees are 6 feet or more in diameter, having been knocked over in previous storms. Sometimes, it’s easier to go under the tree trunk in the 4-foot space created by the angle of the tree as it crosses over boulders on each side of the path.

The main trail here is the Tillamook Head Trail, which starts at the coastal town of Seaside. It climbs to 1,800 feet, and, at times, you can look straight down at the swells of the Pacific breaking on the rocks below.

On this particular trip, I took a less-traveled path to the west.

Descending through the mist at about 900 feet, the air temperature and humidity rose about 15 degrees. The sea breeze was nonexistent, and the animal and bird sounds in the forest seemed amplified.

I thought to myself that if there was a medical emergency, I would not be found for days — or maybe even weeks.

At this stage of my life, I could survive off the land if need be. Marine Corps survival training was a highlight of my military experience. While living off your surroundings in an emergency situation is not for everyone, you may find yourself in a circumstance where you don’t have a choice. (If you could plan for them, they wouldn’t be called “emergencies.”) Preparation for contingencies beyond your control makes your survival more likely.

Some of the gear I carried on these exploratory hikes were designed to make life easier. One of the most useful tools is my old military survival knife. The 440 stainless blade has a hollow handle that contains a fire starter, fishing hook and line, sinker, iodine tablets, bandages, a small harpoon tip, fingertip saw, whistle and more.

I also carried an e-tool, a small folding shovel/pick combination with the edge of the shovel serrated so it could also be used as a saw.

In my backpack, I had a small water purifier. A person can live for quite a while without food — but not long without fresh water.

I don’t want to put myself into a survival situation. Who does? But the more you are prepared for such a situation, the less life-threatening it will be. (There’s a saying:

“I’d rather be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war.”)

So, what does all of this have to do with us here in Florida? Well, there are thousands of trails through the Sunshine State. There are thousands of square miles of water you can travel. Hiking a new trail or taking your boat somewhere you have not been before can be highly rewarding. But it can also pose risks and, often, be uncomfortable.

Every person must determine their own comfort level (and that of guests and traveling companions, as well). Expanding your comfort factor means stepping into unfamiliar territory. Being prepared ahead of time eases this discomfort.

A couple of quotes about comfort zones come to mind: “A comfort zone is a beautiful place — but nothing ever grows there,” and “All progress takes place outside the comfort zone.”

Perhaps Henry Ford said it best: “One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his greatest surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn’t.”

It’s something to think about as you decide the ways you can enjoy our great outdoors.

Fair winds; calm seas. ¦

— Capt. Dennis Kirk and his wife, Nancy, are avid mariners and outdoor enthusiasts. Since the 1970s, their love of nature in Southwest Florida has allowed them to experience the dream of writing about their travels and adventures of sailing, fishing or flying out of their homeport on the Peace River, the old DeSoto marina.

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