Benefits of Stretching our Limits

[Manfred]

Companion forum thread to: Benefits of Stretching our Limits

Backpacking entered my life at a comparatively late stage, when my twin sons joined a Boy Scout Troop and parents were needed to chaperone. We went to

[BlackHatGuy]

Wonderful piece Manfred. I love reading about your adventures, and this bit about a piece of how they came to be was enjoyable to read.

[dirtbag]

Well said!!! Excellent piece here!

[Mark Verber]

Nicely put. If we don’t push beyond what we have experienced in the past (our limits) we will miss out on all sorts of experiences. The counter point is it’s OK to decide you have pushed farther than you want (it’s no longer “fun”) and then impose limits for future trips.

[Mike C]

Thanks, Manfred. Good post. 2 years ago, after 50 years of backpacking with friends, I started going solo. Last year, after 20 years of ski-backpacking (always with friends) I started doing that solo. For me, this was stretching my limits. Now I’ll try some of your limit-stretching. Thanks for the suggestions.

[Matthew / BPL]

Thanks for sharing this piece, Manfred. Your start in backpacking is similar to mine and as my kid has grown older I am transitioning to going out by myself while simultaneously starting to venture off-trail.

One theme throughout all of my time outdoors is learning to be more comfortable with uncertainty. I don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow or next week on the trail and I’ve grown more accustomed to this uncertainty. This has translated into becoming more comfortable uncertainty in other aspects of life, particularly in my practice as a classroom teacher. I have grown more spontaneous in my lesson planning which makes it easier for me to go In unplanned directions with different classes and to differentiate instruction based on the needs of individual students.

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