Sometimes people wonder inquisitively about why I (and other weirdos) have found backpacking to be so enjoyable. "Isn't it boring?" they ask. "What do you do-- just walk?" Valid questions, of course, for a sport named after the practice of walking outside with luggage on your back! Here’s a list of 10 Reasons Why I Love Backpacking, in no particular order:
(1) Simplicity: Sure, simplicity. There's something elegant yet profusely basic about putting all that you need in a bag and walking off into the wilderness. It's straightforward and unencumbered, timeless and, in our distracted lives, timely. If you can handle it, you might even think about leaving the camera, book, checkers, iPod, and cell phone at home. Don't panic- you just might surprise yourself.
(2) Solitude: You may have forgotten what this means: the state or quality of being alone or remote from others. "Why would anybody want to experience that?" you ask. Perhaps you might like to spend a full day in the middle of a shopping mall during the next holiday sale and then you'll be reminded. Sometime we humans need to be alone and away from excessive hubbub in order to function properly. Backpacking is an extraordinary way to do yourself the occasional favor of experiencing solitude. This doesn't mean you need to walk off into the woods alone (probably not a good idea anyway), but it does mean that sometimes we ought to be deliberate about incorporating solitude- and respect for others' solitude- into our experience of the outdoors.
(3) Scenery: Backpacking is a delightfully efficient way of traveling which, in turn, enables us to get an up-close and personal look at an environment that many of us would otherwise only encounter on glossy scenic calendars from seats in a cramped cubicle with headache-inducing fluorescent light, miles from the nearest window. Backpacking lets us linger on towering granite spires awash in alpenglow, colorful explosions of wild irises, Indian paintbrush, and lupine; fellowships of gnarled oak, grand sanctuaries of pine, and quaking aspens like trees lined with emerald butterflies; crystal lake reflections and impatient brooks; brooding storm clouds and diamond-studded evening skies. Enough said.
(4) Camaraderie: Backpacking isn't exclusively for escapists, loners, and the hopelessly taciturn. It can be a great and relatively inexpensive way to spend a weekend with family and friends. You'll find that you often get to know friends a lot better and quicker once
you've spent time with them on the trail, at camp, and without a shower! Thru-hikers on the Appalachian Trail often cite their fellow hikers-- men and women who share a grueling yet deeply rewarding journey together-- as the highlight of the experience.
(5) Exercise: Want to develop a healthy heart and dependable legs? Bored of the old gym routine? Strap on a backpack and go for a weekender! Backpacking is a great form of exercise for men, women, and children of all ages and abilities. You can easily customize your workout by going on an easy day-hike with little or no incline or packing 40-pounds for a 5-day trek across three 14,000-ft peaks. Leaving those potato chips at home in favor of some healthy trail-mix doesn't hurt either.
(6) Education: Okay, so perhaps you weren't looking to be edu-ma-cated. But listen here-- somebody wise once said that the purpose of education is the self-realization of one's own ignorance. Don't be offended- just buckle down, "take a hike," and see for yourself. Ask questions and seek answers. Do you really know why and how the bear hibernates? Which plants are edible? How to use a compass or read a map? The difference between poison oak and poison ivy? Why water takes longer to boil at higher elevations? Of course, the wilderness doesn't just present questions; it can also offer metaphors, suggest answers, and serve a didactic role. There's a unique grove of several thousands years-old bristlecone pine trees which grow on a dry, rocky mountainside in California that offers a particularly potent example of indomitable survival amid harsh conditions. Trace the footsteps of thinkers from Leonardo Fibonacci to Henry David Thoreau who have benefited from taking time to notice the natural world.
(7) Character-Building: One of my old Scoutmasters liked hiking midday when the sun was strongest, where the switchbacks were the steepest, the trail the most rocky (or sandy), and the mosquitoes the most aggressive...with a 50-pound pack. Without becoming a sadist, we should at least consider the benefits of enduring less-than-comfortable outdoor experiences. Just like living on instant Ramen noodles for 2-weeks (not recommended) can help us appreciate nutrition and variety, squatting behind bushes to answer the call of the wild and delaying your shower for 5 days may bring you to a new level of gratitude for the (excessive?) comforts of civilization. Just remember that when you get back home, you don't need to-- and really should NOT-- dig a hole in your backyard.
(8) Good Food: I'm serious! While I would stay away from dehydrated creations like "Uncle Jim's Backcountry Surprise" and fruit compotes with more than 6 fruits (3 of which are undisclosed), the golden culinary rule of wilderness travel is this: it might taste horrible at home, but it sure as heck tastes good in the outdoors! No kidding, try for yourself. That bland, lumpy oatmeal with pink strawberries tastes like honey and nectar when you're 5 days into a trek. And who knew that bright pink canned meat could taste so much like a filet mignon?
(9) Great Stories, Great Memories: Fishing tales are fun, but so are "the bear was THIS CLOSE" stories (they're almost never THAT close, especially when you were camping in New Mexico). I also like that story of the young Boy Scout who was instructed to take a trowel on the camping trip but instead brought his mother's garden gnome (read: troll). Truth be told: the great outdoors was made for generating great memories. I'll never forget cooking soup with my Dad and brothers beside Guitar Lake when the heavens unleashed the wildest hailstorm we had ever seen. Or watching the sunset across snow-covered Humphrey's Basin. Or that time in Little Yosemite Valley when the bears were THIS CLOSE.
(10) Cool Gear: Let's be honest-- the wilderness travel and outdoor industry produces some of the coolest gadgets and threads out there. From jackets with watertight zippers and zipper "garages," (who would've thought?) to hip-belts that can be custom-molded, to tents with a back porch, skylights, and a 360-degree view, you don't have to forsake all luxuries in the outdoors! With the cool stuff available these days, you should never have to sacrifice form for function or function for form.
SEE YOU ON THE TRAIL! |
