When you’re walking in the woods, you’re often surrounded by trees. But you probably don’t notice them much, and when you do spot some irregularity, like a strange bulge in the trunk of a tree, you likely don’t have any idea how it got there. But my guest says that these trees you’re passing by have all kinds of stories to share, and once you learn their language, they can tell you all sorts of secrets about the world, and even help you navigate it.Tristan Gooley is an adventurer, expedition leader, natural navigator, and author of How to Read a Tree. Today on the show, he unpacks the clues in a tree’s shape, branches, bark, roots, and leaves, what they can tell you about the environment, and how they can help you find your way. We also talk about what looking at a tree stump can reveal, the hidden seasons in trees, and the first place to look in a tree to spy fall foliage. We end our conversation with how to get started with reading trees today.Resources Related to the PodcastTristan’s previous appearances on the AoM podcast:Episode #343: How to Read Nature — Awakening Your Senses to the OutdoorsEpisode #563: How to Develop Your Nature InstinctConnect With Tristan GooleyTristan’s Website: The Natural Navigator

Dame Judi Dench, Tony Kirkham, and Tristan Gooley discuss their love for trees and share insights on tree navigation, rare tree journeys, and creating personal woodlands. They explore the competitive nature of trees, unique tree climbing adventures, and the significance of short trees. The podcast highlights the emotional connections to trees, the wonders of tree communication, and the importance of appreciating nature's mysteries.

Award-winning author Tristan Gooley, 'The Sherlock Holmes of Nature,' shares his passion for natural navigation. Explore nature's secrets, purposeful patterns, and the joy of simple adventures. Learn about his transition from podcasting to writing and continuous learning as a natural navigator. Join the conversation on navigating nature's clues and exciting future guests in this insightful podcast.

Tristan Gooley, an award-winning author and the BBC's 'Sherlock Holmes of nature,' shares his passion for natural navigation. He discusses the profound connection between humans and nature, emphasizing simpler navigation techniques. Reflecting on childhood restlessness, he reveals how discomfort fosters personal growth. Tristan also explores the joy of making discoveries in nature, critiques social media's impact on understanding adventure, and advocates for nurturing a sense of wonder in life through nature.

When you're deciding what to wear in the morning, or on the viability of some activity for the weekend, you'll likely turn to a weather app to see what the forecast holds. My guest today would suggest supplementing that habit with another: actually going outside, looking at the sky and feeling the air in order to engage in an ancient and satisfying practice and build a more intimate relationship with the weather and the world around you. His name is Tristan Gooley and he's a master outdoorsman, expert natural navigator, and global adventurer, as well as the author of The Secret World of Weather: How to Read Signs in Every Cloud, Breeze, Hill, Street, Plant, Animal, and Dewdrop. Tristan and I begin our conversation with how modern meteorological science is incredibly useful, but has also disconnected us from the weather signs right in front of our faces, as well as the different microclimates that can exist even on two different sides of a tree. We then do a quick review of some of the basic scientific/meteorological principles that underlie understanding the weather, before turning to the concrete, research-backed, field-tested, signs you can observe in your environment to predict the weather, like the shape and height of clouds, and why you should check those clouds from lunchtime onward. We discuss whether there's truth to the old saying, "red sky at night, sailors' delight; red sky in morning, sailors take warning," and what changes in plants and the behavior of animals can tell you about the coming forecast, We end our conversation with how to get started today with predicting the weather using natural signs. Get the show notes at aom.is/weather.