AND NEITHER WILL MINE!

A little over a week ago some poor chap, posted on BackpackingLight.com that his “wife isn’t exactly warm to the idea of me going out alone.” Seems he couldn’t find anyone to go on a trip with him.

As can be expected, he got a lot of flak from the Macho types, sympathy from those who are tied to their wives’ apron strings, stern warnings from those who are risk adverse, and a few thoughtful and useful ideas from those who are well centered in their lives.

I don’t know this fellow or how things turned out. Maybe his wife is right to be concerned. Maybe he does not possess the skills to head out solo. Maybe she is a worry-wart. Maybe she has unfounded fears based on a lack of knowledge. And maybe, just maybe, both of them need to work on their communication skills.

MARRIAGE, TOGETHERNESS, AND SEPARATION

I often hike solo. I mostly hike solo and my wife is okay with it. There are two dynamics going on here.

My wife isn’t going to join me on a backpacking trip. She loves to go hiking together and we have done some fairly strenuous and long day hikes – up to 18 miles. But at the end of the day, she isn’t going to sleep on the ground. That is fine by me and I am not going to try to convince her otherwise.
A couple is comprised of two individuals. They must be separate and one at the same time. They must pursue individual interests and maybe careers; and they must be united in most endeavors. The couple part is most important. Not losing their individuality is even more paramount. Together they should complement each other and become something greater than two individuals.

SOLO HIKING

I advocate it; plain and simple. If you are interested in more on this you can click on the search button at the top of the page and enter “solo backpacking.” Lots of thoughts can be found on this website.

NO HIKING THIS WEEKEND

Technology is a wonderful thing, but not out in the wilderness. Leave it at home or in the office. But use it to make your life better. A couple months ago my computer, iPad, and iPhone simultaneously flashed a reminder that our wedding anniversary was coming up. I had already thought about the perfect gift for my wife, Joyce. It was a reminder to go buy it.

During the past week I had thought about a couple of routes for a solo backpacking trip this weekend, being that I was free. I even posted about it yesterday.

Ding, Ding, Ding

Late yesterday afternoon, just before Joyce got home from work, the computer, iPhone and iPad simultaneously reminded me that Saturday September 7th, is our 11th wedding anniversary. Opps. I don’t think Joyce would “let” me go backpacking.

Actually, I am sure if I really needed to go she would have consented, but that would have been a selfish and unfair request. Besides, I want to be with her this weekend.

Normally we take a romantic camping trip on our anniversary and spend time alone, but alas, we are temporarily camperless. It is better than being homeless. However, together we could even survive that.