there is no where i feel more fulfilled than when i am out surfing or on a trail snaking up a ridge, miles from humanity.
specifically, this past weekend i tried my hand at 'fastpacking' which is the slang for trail running and backpacking. you basically run with all your gear. i packed everything i needed including a hatched strapped to my chest and set off into the cold blue ridge mountains in preparation for an even colder night (15-18 degrees fahrenheit at 1450' where i met my mother and sister and set up camp). at first the weight seemed like it would force me to move extremely slow for most of the trail, but it turns out my body quickly adjusted and i was soon navigating the rocky appalachian trail as fleetly as if i was carrying no gear.
i had everything i needed to survive - tools, fire, first aid kit, light, food, water and warmth. with these essentials i could survive up to a week without resupply (i was only gone 2 days so no need to bring more food and water). i was completely self-sustainable, relying on my own strength and agility to carry me over the trail and my intellect and (limited) experience to survive. it was freeing, simple, and exhilarating.
this adventure is in stark contrast to my new life. i wake up, eat, fuck around on the internet, run, and go to work for 8-10 hours. while i sit at my computer i literally feel as if my life is being sucked out of me. i live a privileged life that makes everything i say sound as if i'm whining, but circumstance and personal happiness are intricate things. many people jump at a chance to have any job, let alone a full time job with full benefits. but i've never measured my success traditionally. success for me is personal happiness.
i'll spare any potential readers anymore of this journal-like entry, and save that for my journal. rather, i think some important issues are brought to light in these times, and it's important to highlight them even if it's just as a seemingly simple short story, so as to implant them in the memory for future rumination.
specifically, this past weekend i tried my hand at 'fastpacking' which is the slang for trail running and backpacking. you basically run with all your gear. i packed everything i needed including a hatched strapped to my chest and set off into the cold blue ridge mountains in preparation for an even colder night (15-18 degrees fahrenheit at 1450' where i met my mother and sister and set up camp). at first the weight seemed like it would force me to move extremely slow for most of the trail, but it turns out my body quickly adjusted and i was soon navigating the rocky appalachian trail as fleetly as if i was carrying no gear.
i had everything i needed to survive - tools, fire, first aid kit, light, food, water and warmth. with these essentials i could survive up to a week without resupply (i was only gone 2 days so no need to bring more food and water). i was completely self-sustainable, relying on my own strength and agility to carry me over the trail and my intellect and (limited) experience to survive. it was freeing, simple, and exhilarating.
this adventure is in stark contrast to my new life. i wake up, eat, fuck around on the internet, run, and go to work for 8-10 hours. while i sit at my computer i literally feel as if my life is being sucked out of me. i live a privileged life that makes everything i say sound as if i'm whining, but circumstance and personal happiness are intricate things. many people jump at a chance to have any job, let alone a full time job with full benefits. but i've never measured my success traditionally. success for me is personal happiness.
i'll spare any potential readers anymore of this journal-like entry, and save that for my journal. rather, i think some important issues are brought to light in these times, and it's important to highlight them even if it's just as a seemingly simple short story, so as to implant them in the memory for future rumination.
