recovering the desire?

How about a couple day hikes, or even 1/2 day hikes? I find whenever I get out into the woods for a few hours it almost always makes me want to go out for longer…

If that works, maybe a 24-hour adventure or two, or a weekend…

…a-a-a-a-and they’re off!

Yep, put it on the calendar and get someone else to go along for further commitment.  When we were starting our business, I had 8 years without putting on a pack, just had no time or money.  Finally I had a friend who had had a similar break say “let’s go”.  My wife said “you know you might not like it anymore”, possible but didn’t turn out that way, it has been 29 years since that restart and never looked back, more and better trips each year.

Steven, a big +1 on some day hikes – minimal investment in planning and time on your part that could wet your appetite for more. You may also find that your interests have changed. Do you have any other interests now other than backpacking?

I tend to go phases of 3 – 5 years, where I focus more on one outdoor activity than any others, such as backpacking/hiking, mountaineering, rock climbing, kayaking, photography, trail running, etc. The bottom line is to discover what activities help you find happiness or bring you peace or satisfaction, whether it be backpacking or something else now.

“How do i recover the desire to … do anything?”

What do you want out of life? What things do you value and hold high above all else?

What did backpacking give you before, and is that what you need now?

If you don’t know what value it fulfills, then just going through the motions will leave you empty.

Recovering the desire to backpack is a strange affliction.  I assume if the desire is not there then there’s no need to go out.  Sometimes other desires intervene.  If it’s just a mental question as in, “Shouldn’t I be out there backpacking??” then what good is that?  Would you just be going out to fulfill some resume which might impress others?  Not a good motivator.

Obviously you have other non-backpacking desires which are just as real and valid as getting bag nights.  If someone has 250 bag nights a year and you have none, do you feel jealous?

Personally, my desire is to sleep outdoors.  Maybe you could throw a bedroll out in the backyard tonight and see what happens, heart-wise.  Or not.

There is so much of the back country I still have not seen yet.

I would need hundreds of days to see them all.

Point is, there has got to be something you would like to see that you can only get to by hiking.

Look the info up and go.

There may be another reason you don’t enjoy it?

Are you uncomfortable at night or don’t get good sleep?

Do you not like the food?  Maybe look up some info on back country cooking. Maybe then you’ll be interested in going out and trying it?

If something is wrong, figure it, fix it and see if that works.

i’m going to wager that if you’re on here asking about it, you already do want to get back out!

two ideas:

*an old favorite that you know you enjoy

*a route you’ve always been curious about

Of all the “shoulds” in our lives, backpacking is wonderfully not one of them.

Is it only backpacking? If not, perhaps it could help to chat with a professional for a bit to better understand your current state of mind and motivations.

i moved to Philadelphia from the DC/Baltimore area in 2013.  the move took me further away from the places i knew and loved.  at one point they were all a mystery and i loved exploring them for the first time.  places like Dolly Sods, George Washington National Forest, and of course the many miles of AT and the various secondary trails.

i have explored Harriman SP in NY a little and have done some of the AT in central PA, but this area feels less removed from what i grew up near.  i was spoiled by the proximity to the AT in Maryland.  an hour drive got me to a wonderful out and back overnight trip (Rt 40 to Raven Rock).   in two hours i could be in Green Ridge State Forest, 2.5 hours to GWNF and 3 hours to Dolly Sods.

now even a simple overnighter is 2+ hours away, if i want to get away from the crowds.

Steven brings up one of the saddest aspects of current American culture—vast swaths of land unavailable for free-roaming backpacking and camping.  Since I’ve lived in the Appalachian mountains for the last 43 years, I take such access for granted.  But I see backpackers from Indiana and Ohio and other states who have to drive 5+ hours just to hike and camp for a long weekend in “my” mountains.

In a perfect world, every state in the US (especially Eastern states) would have 15% or 20% of its land dedicated to wilderness and national forests full of backpacking trails.  But development and sprawl is slowly turning America the beautiful into private property and “greenway parks” with no camping allowed.

Food for thought:  At one time the Patawomeck Indians lived and hiked and camped on the Potomac River near present day Washington DC—now look what we’ve done to it.  Go try roaming and camping on the river today.

Find a day walk which has good views (of wild country, not of urban sprawl!) around morning tea time or lunch time. Take a small gas stove with you and brew a cup of REAL coffee at the view point, and then sit quietly, drink coffee, and enjoy the view.

If that does not work … dunno.

Cheers

“Find a day walk which has good views (of wild country, not of urban sprawl!) around morning tea time or lunch time. Take a small gas stove with you and brew a cup of REAL coffee at the view point, and then sit quietly, drink coffee, and enjoy the view.”

i live next to an urban miracle, the Wissahickon Valley.  in about 5 minutes i can walk from my apartment and be in the middle of an oasis.  50+ miles of trails to hike.  rugged “wilderness”  within the city of Philadelphia limits.  it is a wonderful place and i hike there several times a week.  my two boys and i have helped build and maintain the trails.  the Wissahickon reminds me of places i used to go, but it is still the city.

i’m going to take you up on this idea, to take my stove in and make some REAL coffee at a wonderful spot that i could enjoy for hours and hours.

As long as you can backpack and camp in the Wissahickon Valley then I’m all for it.  Fifty miles of trails to me means you could pull a whole week of hiking and camping.  Yippee.  But if the place is closed to camping, well, then we’re talking about “mere” dayhiking which isn’t going to work as dayhiking means you start the day in a car and end the day in the same car.  And between car visits you torture yourself with the knowledge that the place is Day Use Only with no overnights, a very bleak prospect.

If the Wissahickon Valley is thusly closed to backpacking and camping then I’d investigate why this is so and blame the tent police and the lawyers of Squatting with their briefcases full of regulations and provisos and stipulations and all the rest.

I grew up in Central PA and I know of some spots that would make decent day-hikes or overnight trips that are about 1-2 hours from Philly.

(1) I’m not sure what sections of the AT you’ve done, but the sections of the trail that are just N/NW of Allentown are pretty good.  Lots of great views in close proximity to one another (Pulpit Rock, The Pinnacle, and Bake Oven Knob).  These are great spots for Roger’s coffee with a view idea–though there is some farmland and rural development visible from these views.

(2) St. Anthony’s Wilderness has somewhat remote feel given the lack of roads running through this area.  There are interesting remnants of some old abandoned structures and mining equipment.

(3)  The Mason-Dixon Trail System.  I haven’t tried this one out yet, but from the looks of the photos on their facebook page, there should be some sections on this trail that are worth hiking.  There’s also a pretty nice little bouldering area at the western terminus of this trail at Whiskey Springs.

regarding the Wissahickon Valley, it is part of the Fairmount Park system, completely within the city limits of Philadelphia.  the park is centered on the Wissahickon Creek valley and while there are 50 miles of trails, many of the trails run parallel at varying elevations in the valley.

there is no camping allowed, the park closes at 1am.  i recreate within the park all season long.

Ok, so you DO get out and enjoy the wilderness already… and you DO want to get back into backpacking, but I *think* I’m hearing a lack of excitement…

How about starting to research a “dream trip” (JMT, Patagonia, Wonderland, Wind River Range, etc.), and aiming for that?  Maybe the exquisite anticipation of a “trip of a lifetime” will get you restarted and give you something to plan and look forward to…

I think you need to just set aside some time and go.  Getting back out will remind you of what you’re missing.

A two-hour drive to avoid crowds isn’t much of a barrier – I have to drive that far to make it to a crowded wilderness area.  Folks from Chicago have it far worse, and so do a lot of people in other areas.  Heck, most Californians probably have to drive more than two hours to dodge the crowds.

has anyone else struggled with this?

Short answer, no.  Going back to my teenage years, there isn’t a day that goes by where a part of me doesn’t want to be out in the wild.  But, most days, there are other things that are of a higher priority to me that keep me in the front country.  Last month, that may have been my son’s hockey tournament or my daughter’s treble choir recital.  This month, it’s remodeling my house.

I compromise by day hiking local trails and other non hiking activities that get me outside, like kayaking and biking.  I’m outdoors, I see/hear birds, I feel the wind, all which momentarily satisfies the part of my soul that craves that stimulus.

If it’s simply a case where your passions have changed, no biggie, just follow your heart and where your passions lead you.  My father lived and breathed western fly fishing for a decade or two of his life.  One day, inexplicably, he was done and moved on to other pursuits.  He was kind enough to drop off several boxes of fly tying material and several rods at my house last week (with the condition that he reserves the right to use any and all tackle), so on a selfish level, that really worked out in my favor.

But if you’ve simply lost passion, period, then it’s time for some soul searching, and as Doug suggested, maybe time to talk to a professional to sort all this out.  No shame in that whatsoever.

This will likely sound cliche, but you may want to try keeping a journal.  For me, I sometimes can work out my concerns better on paper.

I have no real context around your entire story but It sounds like… well, life.  Honestly all you may need to do is reflect on life and what your priorities are and pursue the ones that you believe provide the most value to you and your family, not what everyone else or society believes are the most valuable.  Yes we all have obligations and sacrifices may need to be made based on the priorities you designate, but that’s life.  If you feel lost and are having a hard time finding any value in anything, I would seek professional help.

I would suggest doing a trip/route you have done before that maybe holds some sentimental value or may dredge up some of those old feelings you remember.

Sounds to me as if the passion isn’t missing at all.  You just live in a tough place to make it all happen.  I think we’ve all been there at one time or another.

So two thoughts:

1. As noted above, make a date and schedule a trip to a place you know you will love.  No, you can’t do this every month.  But once a year, give yourself permission to make the long drive, go hiking, and do it.  Lots of people in California drive 4-6 hours to hike in the Sierra.  It’s worth it.
2. Look at the world through your kids’ eyes.  You may not be able to take them to the perfect places that you’ve been before, but they don’t mind.  They’ll love any kind of trip, and watching them have fun is almost better than anything else.

Oh yeah…and look for ways to move closer to the wilderness!

has anyone else struggled with this?

No, but it needs to be put into context. Backpacking, in and of itself, isn’t that important to me, but getting out into the “wilderness” is. Perhaps you need to figure out why you started backpacking in the first place — figure out the motivation.

Sometimes we let “life get in the way of living” and sometimes we just lose motivation to do the things we truly enjoy. The first is easy to fix, the second is more difficult.

I started backpacking as a teenager to get to remote fishing spots — trout fishing was my motivation. Soon, I started enjoying the backpacking more than the fishing. Been backpacking ever since, over 50 years of it. However, over the last 15 years, I spend much more time camping, biking, boating, and day hiking with my wife than backpacking because I would rather spend my time with her, as long as we are outdoors. But I still do many backpacking trips every year. The more I camp with my wife, the more she is okay with me backpacking. Also, over the years, I have learned to gain appreciation of the little short trips, that are close to home and encounter few people. These trips are about the quality of the miles, versus the quantity of miles per trip.

In this blog post I wrote about our inventory of recreation days… most of us have over 100 days of recreation time to spend as we choose, but if we don’t use the time it is gone forever. And in this one a discussion of work and the quality of life. Perhaps these may help, and perhaps not. It is going to be one of those things in life you are going to have to figure out, and if it is life impacting backpacking AND other areas, you may need to talk to a professional as mentioned earlier.

I kind of agree it’s helpful to figure out what you really love about backpacking.  At times, I want to get away from the comfortable terrain I grew up with and see something new.  I want the adventure of exploring things new to me.  Maybe you should book a flight to Colorado, California, or somewhere else that would be a real adventure for you.  Get away from the Appalachians for a trip. Get out of your comfort zone.

There are activities that I do that my interest in them waxes and wanes. There’s nothing wrong with that. Store the gear for when your interest in backpacking returns or sell it if it appears it will never return.

Speaking of…Is anyone interested in a recumbent bicycle or tricycle?