pick one's way through something
and make one's way through something 1. to move along a route full of obstacles; to travel, usually on foot, through an area of heavy vegetation or through a crowd of people or things. When the grandchildren visit, I have to pick my way through the toys on the floor. We slowly picked our way through the thorny bushes to get to the ripe raspberries.
2. to work slowly and meticulously through something. My teacher said he couldn't even pick his way through my report. It was just too confusing. I spent an hour picking my way through the state tax forms.