More Roots Along the Quiet Miles to Puzzle Over

This Trail Break goes with my story, Roots Along the Quiet Miles, about planting living memories along the long ride. You can read the full post, but meanwhile, enjoy more roots along the quiet miles.

Our long ride isn’t just about miles in the saddle; it’s about leaving something good growing in the ground behind us. In Roots Along the Quiet Miles, I share how I’m planning to plant trees in memory of the people we’ve loved and lost — living markers that can keep growing long after Floki, Lagertha, and I have passed through. We will also be planting additional native trees as a way of healing the land and leaving it a little better than we found it. This Trail Break gives you a chance to think about your own “roots” while you play. Who would you honor if you could tuck a young tree into the soil somewhere along a favorite trail?

You can solve this one at the kitchen table, in the barn aisle while your horse munches hay, or around a campfire on your next horse-camping trip. Print a copy for yourself, share one with a barn kid, or keep a small stack in your trailer for those quiet in-between moments on the road. If you’re a teacher or youth leader, feel free to use it as a gentle way to start a conversation about memory, grief, and how planting something living can help us carry both memories and grief.

Most of all, I hope this little puzzle slows your day down for a few minutes and reminds you that small actions matter. One tree. One story. One quiet mile at a time.

Trail Break 1: More Roots Along the Quiet Miles: Tree planting word search

Prefer a printable version? Download this Trail Break as a PDF

This little Trail Break grows out of our tree planting project on the Quiet Miles. The words below come from some of the people, plants, and places that shape this part of the ride.

You can print this page, or take a screenshot and mark the words as you find them. Words may run forward, backward, up, down, or diagonal.

• BRIAN
• KOU
• OAK
• PONDEROSA
• SAGUARO
• JUNIPER
• WILLOW
• COTTONWOOD
• MESQUITE
• LUPINE
• SAGE
• CEDAR
• REDBUD
• PINYON
• HAWTHORN

P I N Y O N H B R I A N T T L
C E D A R D Q D K X F T F R U
W I L L O W U O G G A P E Q P
N P M I G B U E G S P P A F I
C W H F D B I F O C I V Q J N
O A P E B W G R C N O L D G E
T Z R S I Q E Y U N N S O J I
T J Z U M D O J R U A R U K M
O K S E N T V O X P A T H E R
N R P O L S H O A U Q F S Q N
W G P D T T Q I G P W Q J S O
O P A Q W W S A G E U Q T W B
O D H A U U S H A I O A K S A
D G H X I A A C T B E V M J O
B O M M K Q W E Q L E H U L T

If you like this Trail Break, you can find more puzzles collected on our Trail Breaks on the Quiet Miles page.

And if this Trail Break has you thinking about planting your own “living memories,” the Arbor Day Foundation shares simple ways to get started with community and forest tree-planting projects.