I am about to embark on the craziest journey ever. Oh, but not just one! I’ve committed to two journeys in the next year. The first is an epic backpack trip of 100 miles in Newfoundland. The second is another epic backpack trip along the Lost Coast of California. They are epic and crazy because I don’t like backpacking. I’m a nervous woman, and my feet…are finicky. They bruise and blister. They don’t like shoes. I absolutely hate the pack! I hate the sweat, the tears. Hills. I hate hills. Walking with 30 lbs. on my back. Hate that. And the food. Dehydrated powdered meals. Baggies of nuts. Bleh. Sleeping in the dirt? Not a fan. There are so many, many reasons. But the main issue is the bathroom. There are no toilets on a backpack trip. Just let that one sit with you for a moment. I’m not complaining about lack of flush toilets. I’m talking about no toilets. Once you fully digest the lack of toilet, then not having a shower will seem like a breeze.
So why go at all? If I’m going to whine about everything and hate everything. Why go?
Because. Backpacking is also exhilarating in a way that can’t be expressed until I’ve finished a trip. I get to see places beautiful beyond words. Backpacking is about making goals and reaching them. There is no choice. Once I’m out there, I gotta get back to the car! I’m always amazed at what I am able to accomplish when it’s all over. I may be tired and stinky, but as I walk back to my ride, I’m celebrating, cheering on the inside. And, did you know? Weight loss and fitness are natural byproducts of backpacking. Bonus! Overcoming the minor discomforts of backpacking allows me to put everyday life into perspective. It’s an emotional cleanse. I feel like I can do anything. That’s the thing about backpacking. It teaches me how to go through difficult times and come out of the woods with grace and dignity.
And that’s why I love backpacking.
Follow me as I chronicle the training and preparation for these journeys, and a few others I take along the way. You can laugh with me as I attempt to appreciate the beauty of being in nature while wearing a backpack. And laugh with me some more as I attempt to push harder, go longer in a training session. Maybe you’ll see me as goofy. Maybe you’ll see the courage it takes to get up and go try something new, something difficult I’d never imagined doing before. Either way, let’s laugh. The Universe is a jokester. Let’s see what She has in store for me. Because the truth is I am a slightly overweight, moderately unfit, forty-something year old woman who enjoys clean sheets and hot showers, loves red wine and chocolate cake, and quietly reading in a comfy chair, a stream of sunshine lighting the page, with modern-day bathroom facilities nearby. This whole 100-mile journey thing ought to be good.
The hardest part of anything is getting started. Here we go!
Hooray! Can’t wait to take the journey with you.
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Thank you, Caitlin. I really can’t wait to meet all of you. It’s going to be a real adventure.
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Loved this first entry, and its inspiring as I very much feel the same about backpacking, and really much physical exertion these days, but I also know how life affirming, healthy, and vital it is to keep pushing our limits and grow. I look forward to following along on your journey and being inspired along the way.
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Alexandra, thank you for your kind words.
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Brilliant piece of writing. Totally agree with all that you say, especially the why’s of doing it. And am soooo gonna share the wine you at the end!
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Thank you, Erika, I can’t wait to share the wine! Hopefully, there is also cake.
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…wine WITH you… it should give us an option to edit!
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Love this – so funny! I can’t wait for the journey, either. Brava!
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Thank you, Jessie! Me too. I already have butterflies in my stomach just thinking about it.
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❤ ❤ ❤
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You are awesome!! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear and see pics about your 100 mile trip, I want to do something like that someday! You will love the lost coast, I back packed there 3 years ago, it’s so beautiful and you get to camp on the beach so it’s pretty comfortable (I mean for backpacking! 😉
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Thank you, Brittany! I hope you’re right about the Lost Coast! I heard a story once about someone I know watching a bunch of ticks crawl up his shirt. Sure hope that doesn’t happen to me!
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Safe travels! And enjoy the views.
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Thanks, Ed! I will take lots of pictures.
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I am excited to virtually go with you!
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Traycie, you don’t know how much I wish you were coming!
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I loved this! The lost coast is the only stretch of the West Coast of the States that I’ve never been on.
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Jordana, you’d be welcome to come along. The more the merrier. We’re going in September.
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Sounds like a great trip. I want to go too.
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Thank you for your support in me going, Darling.
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