Tag: camping

Thankful for an Epic Send Off to My Forties and Start to Empty Nest Life

Day 4,020

I’m totally exhausted and looking forward to being in bed well before 8pm tonight. As I wrap things up and get ready to lock back in for a crazy day of work I took a moment to total up some of the more interesting stat lines from the past month and a half. Here are some fun facts about the past seven weeks:

  • 7,000+ miles of driving in the campervan
  • 100+ miles of hiking
  • 23,300+ feet of elevation gain
  • Five out of Six weekends spent in the campervan
  • Countless memories made throughout a few extended weekends with some of my favorite people in the world!

During that time Becky and I got time with Gavin as we took him out to Balitmore to start his freshman year at Johns Hopkins University. The two of us then took our time coming back, hiking and exploring in Gettysburg, Shenandoah, and New River Gorge National Park. Dominic and I took advantage of the Labor Day weekend and drove our butts off out to Sleeping Giant in Canada for a hike I gave myself a less than 50% chance of completing – super glad he was there to help keep me going! My little brother wanted his redemption versus a 14’er in Colorado so we took a long weekend to drive straight out, knock out a couple of epic hikes on back to back days, and then haul ass all the way back right afterwards. For my fiftieth Becky and I again headed up to Sleeping Giant and Ouimet Canyon for one last long weekend trip in the campervan before we winterize it for the season.

Nonstop adventure, tons of work and life in between, and so many memories created. One of my biggest goals for the year was to share eight adventures with loved ones, there were four knocked out in a short period of time!

Back to reality on a full time basis – Becky said I can’t retire for another handful of years – I’ll be riding high on the memories of this stretch for quite some time! I can’t think of a better way to have wrapped up my forties and kicked off empty nester life!

Thanks!!!

Thankful for Planning to Achieve Dreams, Planning Another Epic Backpacking Trip, & Planting Dream Seedlings

Day 3,409

Growth:

If we want to live out our dreams we have to first dream them and then plan for them. Dream them, write them down, plan for them, and then make them happen. Today was a reminder to pause and plan in order to make things happen.

Appreciation:

Another dream / bucket list item is in the hopper and ready to go this year! Last year Dominic and I hiked in Patagonia. Becky and I hiked across the Grand Canyon in October. Gavin and I just got our permits to hike the Rockwall Trail in Kootenay National Park in Canada this summer! Another hiking dream to be knocked off this year, soooo pumped!!!

photo from https://happiestoutdoors.ca/rockwall-trail-guide/

Presence:

While I was focused on setting up our backpacking permits this morning I switched gears completely on my drive to work and back. Another subset of big dreams I have involve the ocean. In order to keep stoking those flames I’ve gone back to a favorite book of mine, Deep by James Nestor. Getting lost in the stories and science of the ocean was a wonderful balance to all of the mountain focus of the morning!

Thanks!!!

Day 1,966 – Thankful for Camping with My Boys and Sleeping Outdoors, Even When It’s -5f

The temperature yesterday was a little chilly. The lowest I saw was -5 degrees with the windchill dropping the feel to about -16. A little cool, but nothing to get in the way of having a great time in the woods with my boys. We went for an outing with Scouts and the cold air only added to the fun and memorableness. We also learned a few lessons along the way, like the fact that butane tanks don’t like to stay pressurized in the extreme cold… and that the tanks can be warmed up to the right temperature by putting them against your chest inside a pair of bibs and jacket with a couple of hand warmers for about 15-20 minutes.

I’m always grateful for time in the woods with my family. Sharing my happy place with those I love is amongst my favorite activities. Whether camping, hiking, traveling, snowshoeing, running, or anything – time outside in nature with my family is always rewarding, even when the weather doesn’t cooperate or is less than ideal.

Last night we laughed, enjoyed time together, and stayed warm. While I rested in my solo tent with a double layer of tarps and a triple sleeping bag set up I kept smiling while listening to the laughing coming from the boys’ tent next to me. They were joking around and goofing off just the way kids are supposed to. Doing it outside in crazy weather made it all the more perfect. Times together like this will hopefully continue to instill a passion for time in the wilderness for both of them.

Not gonna lie, at one point it got so warm I had to unzip my sleeping bags and cool off!

Thanks!!!