Making The Most Of Short Trips

There’s something about getting out there … deep out there … even if deep out there happens to be only a mile or two from the normal amenities that most modern campers are accustomed to having close at hand. 

It’s a totally different world deep out there where flushing toilets, showers, and electrical outlets do not exist.

It’s wild and natural out there.

Those of us that know deep out there, and are comfortable with what it offers us, are fortunate.

Some of us are born with a propensity for the deep … there’s something woven into our inner fabric that pulls us to the deep. Some of us develop a taste for the deep through an accumulation of acquired personal experiences over time … here a little … there a little … until a preference for the deep is developed.

Us Deep Outers tend to glamorize our adventures into the deep. We tend to insist that adventures into the deep are the pinnacle … the litmus … used to measure outdoor experiences. These deep experiences are indeed landmarks in our repertoires of experiences. They are not, however, the total.

We need to be careful of what we do with this tendency. It can inspire a few others. I think It can also be an inhibitor. It can work to lessen the value of other outdoor experiences – our own and the experiences of others.

I am extremely fortunate to have a partner in life that shares in my love for being outdoors. 

The following paragraphs on this subject of short trips were key stroked by Shirli.

David and I have been thinking about something lately, and I want to share my thoughts on it here. We love to adventure; to get out in the car or van or truck and ride the back roads, explore, wonder, take pictures and sometimes research what we have discovered after we get home. We have taken countless short trips in the 18 years we have been together. Our trips have ranged from a walk across the main road and down to the nearby lake, seeing an almost tame doe on the way… to a hike on a part of the Appalachian Trail… to a long car ride to far-off campgrounds and exploring a new area, both on foot and in the car. Sometimes we pack up and camp for a few days, enjoying the feel of fresh air on our faces, the sound of the birds, the smell of wood smoke, and the utter peace and quiet of remote locations. Sometimes we grab our walking sticks and stroll up the road to explore the micro environments closer to home.

Whether we are working or retired, this will always be our habit. You see, we share a love of being out. Out in nature, out in the wild, out and about… and while our cabin is cozy, it is still four walls surrounding us. We plan and talk about the day when we will load the van and take that epic road trip… a huge circle of exploration and adventure which, hopefully, will take us to the western US and to places we have not seen in many years. What will we do there? Probably this: take photos and share them with friends, to inspire and encourage them to get out… sit and watch the wildlife and birds…. Paint or draw… go rock hounding… visit historic sites and stand in the path of our ancestors and others who have come before us…. Learn about local culture and traditions… Make music and sing… cook and relax and swim and walk and just be in the fresh air, enjoying the variations in temperature and the smells of the local forests. We’ll EARTH ourselves. That is what I am calling it. To earth is to curl your toes into the grass or sand or dirt, pick up the rocks and touch the trees of the area you are visiting… See the miraculous vistas of the high mountains or listen to the soft sounds of the living world around you in the desert, and embrace the seasons in all their wonder and variety.

It has not been a long time since I had major surgery on both knees. I was chair bound for much longer than I wanted to be, and walking has been painful, and progress slow. But step by step, with determination, I have ventured a little further each time, the pain has lessened, and I have grown stronger. And I want to encourage every single person who reads this to take that first small step. Sit on a bench at noon and turn your face up to the sun. Let it heal and nurture your heart. Walk to the end of your driveway and back. Drive to a lake or a beach and watch the sun play over the waves. Inhale the wonderful scent of nature. Each and every trip into the outdoors is an opportunity to discover something new. Whether your trip is ten minutes or ten months or anything in between, stretch yourself and climb a little. Go farther each day. Stay longer each time. Share your small triumphs and achievements with others… you never know who may need exactly what you tell them on a given day.

Ten minutes.

Ten months.

Or anything in between.

Get out there.

Discover the value found in being out there.