At Outsideways This Week
July 21, 2012
Damien wrote about Lightening-Up, our packs and our life.
Anyone who has pursued ultralight backpacking for any length of time quickly comes to the realization that it isn't just about buying gear made of titanium and cuben fiber. Yes we can lighten our load (and our wallets) by geeking out on high-tech gear, but if we really want to get serious we have to roll-up our sleeves and slog through a much more difficult process: self examination.
The self examination process is where we wrestle with our assumptions about what we "really need" vs what we "think we need" vs what we "want". There is no easier and cheaper way to shed excess pack weight than to discard something we don't need. It is also an incredibly liberating experience, as it is one less thing to buy, break, manage, pack, or maintain. Our life gets simpler, our pack gets lighter, we save money, and we are empowered to do more with less.
We share photos from our hike last weekend. I am still pinching myself that these are our local trails. We don't even have to go into the big mountains, in the middle of the peninsula, to find this beauty.
Hiking this summer? Wondering how to dress and what to pack? This is our day hiking packing list that we've used for years.
Outsideways, i.e., Damien, is going to Outdoor Retailer in Utah again this year. (You can read about our trip together there last summer.) OR is in early August so our whole family is making a trip to Nova Scotia so the kids and I can visit family while Damien travels. It also works well since Halifax has a major airport and there are no major airports where we live, or anywhere near where we live, to fly out of.
Damien has started work on our first Outsideways inspired e-book. (Don't hold your breath, it will take us some time to finish and publish it.) We have so much to share about being together outdoors. People have questions, we have a few answers from years of practice (lots of trial and error). This will be our first foray into offering a product around this family passion of ours for the outdoors.
Have a great weekend. I hope yours includes some time outdoors, far away from traffic and phone coverage. Where you can experience the rush of water and wind in the trees.
