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Learning Curve: Backpacking is the Great Equalizer
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Home › Forums › Campfire › Editor’s Roundtable › Learning Curve: Backpacking is the Great Equalizer
- This topic has 27 replies, 27 voices, and was last updated 2 years, 6 months ago by
Caroline Gould.
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Feb 9, 2021 at 12:38 pm #3698336
I, too, was never much of an athlete. I don’t hike much–I’m mainly a solo wilderness paddler. Sometimes I do short trips of 2-3 days, but mostly I go for a week. I used to go on longer trips, but I’m 80 and I get tired. I don’t like going with groups because then I have to keep up, haul packs that are too heavy for me, paddle longer than I want or, even worse, being fussed over because of my age and not allowed to do things I’m perfectly capable of doing. My gear is light and I have my own systems and ways of doing things. Alone, it doesn’t matter how old I am, how fast I am, or how much weight I can carry over portages. Besides, it’s good to be alone, just me and wilderness. If I want to spend a day lying in my hammock I can do it. Sometimes I complete a trip as planned, sometimes I don’t. But they are all good trips. They give meaning to my life. We have different sports, but the same outlook. Thank you for the great essay
Feb 16, 2021 at 6:45 pm #3699934My motto: Start slow, and taper off…
(and all the while enjoy birdwatching, looking for animals and tracks, botanizing, mushroom hunting, blueberry picking, picture taking, snoozing, navel-gazing, etc.)
Mar 7, 2021 at 6:00 pm #3703138“Henry Hikes to Fitchberg” – great kid’s book. Henry David Thoreau walks to Fitchberg while his friend works all day to earn the train fare to Fitchberg. Spoiler alert – Henry loses, because he dawdles the whole way.
I aspire to be a backpacking dawdler.
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