Sunday Night With John: 40 Pounds to Freedom

Spring is here which means I have only one thing on my mind -- the next backpacking trip. I will, at some point over the next three to four months, plan a trip to hike in some remote part of the country. I will pack my backpack to capacity with everything I will need for my hike, and set it by the back door the night before we leave. It will just sit there, knowing full well that it is about to cause me some serious pain in less than twenty-four hours. I will stare at it and ask, "why do I do this to myself?" My destination could be the woods of northeast Minnesota, northwest Wisconsin, southern Illinois, northeastern Iowa, the Badlands of South Dakota, the Appalachian trail, the Ozarks of Missouri, or the California redwood forests. But none of that matters to the forty pounds of gear, food, and water I have to carry. The weight will be unrelenting, as the hike proceeds, and the strain of carrying everything I need on my own back will grow with each step.

Why then, you might ask,is backpacking my favorite hobby? Why do I obsess over the where the next trip will take me as soon as the last one ends. It’s a combination of a lot of things, the seeing the world at a snail’s pace is one. It’s also sitting on a top of a cliff and overlooking Lake Superior cherishing the experience with friends by clinking together the granola bar we are having for lunch. It’s the feeling I get after a ten mile hike leading to the chore of having to cut fire-wood the old fashion way just so I can enjoy a fire and hot meal. It’s the rush of jumping into a cold stream to sooth my weary leg muscles, it feels like a spa treatment. It’s the moment every morning where I stare at the backpack and realize I have to put it back on. It's half laugh half grunt I make as find the strength to get it all hooked up and take the first step of the day.

But the most important and biggest reason why I endure the slow drip pain of carrying 40 pounds over a rough trails is the reminder of what I need and what I do not need in life. My wife, my dog, a couple of friends and 40 pounds of stuff is all I really need in life.  The beautiful house, the fancy car, the fun video games, the nice clothes and all the other luxuries I enjoy are just that luxuries. They are things I can ultimately live without, I am not tied to material things. I like and enjoy material things but they do not define me and I can leave them behind. Every ounce of those 40 pounds is a glorious reminder of how peaceful and wonderful a simple life is. Sitting around a flickering campfire, sharing a meal out of a metal cup with my wife as my dog curls up next to me, and our friends converse in the background is all I need. Those 40 pounds remind me the best life is the simple life. The best life is filled with experiences not stuff, and most importantly those 40 pounds carry me to my freedom every time.  

A hike in Northwest Washington!