Supposedly an old English verb, it means ' to wander longingly through the forest in search of adventure'. It's not a word I've heard before and considering I'm now 42 and feel I now almost qualify as an old Englander, I should have done if it were real. But if it isn't a real word, it should be.
Being fortunate to be paid to spend time in the woods connecting young people with trees, I'm always looking for ways of encouraging teenagers to wander through the woods to look for adventure and mystery for surely, if you don't know what you are looking for, this is when you will discover the unexpected. The drum of a woodpecker, the bracket fungus on a dying oak, the sett of a badger or a carpet of bluebells.
I've been using the John Muir Award as a way of attaching meaning to the seemingly aimless wanderings, building on John Muir's legacy of exploration and discovery, as many young people are uncertain about venturing into the natural spaces around them. To create both a way of capturing their personal discoveries and achievements and a personal memento of their time in the woods, I've been creating a journal of discovery for each participant to write, draw, scribble and stamp muddy footprints into.
The word WERIFESTERIA will be entering the journals.
