Phew! Being away from technology for 20 days certainly speeds time... only my little red journal I keep in my tent slows time for me these days.HITCH BY THE NUMBERS!
For you fellow math lovers, here's a little equation:
1 Hitch = 20 days + 55 miles of hiking + 150 hours of work + 100 gallons of water + 5 miles of completed trail + 30 grilled cheeses - 7 lbs of bodyweight (ha, yup!)
So, there you have it.
1 Hitch = 20 days + 55 miles of hiking + 150 hours of work + 100 gallons of water + 5 miles of completed trail + 30 grilled cheeses - 7 lbs of bodyweight (ha, yup!)
So, there you have it.
Our House (is a very, very very...)
The trail we are now unearthing is 25 miles long, located in the Boise Nat'l Forest. We will work on this trail until mid-October. Since we started working at the bottom of the 25 mile trail, the forest service provided a house for us to stay in the first week of our hitch. We will continue to stay in this house the first and last nights of our hitches, but as we continue up the trail, we will start camping as we go. We will camp 10 miles in the backcountry during our next hitch, 15 miles in the following hitch, and so forth.
So this house. This house has become our house (is a very, very, very...), complete with dark-brown wood paneling, brown shag carpeting, avocado and gold-detailed floor tiles, a dusty ceiling fan that hums, a deck that hosts nights of cigarettes and conversations (me only enjoying the latter, don't worry, mom!), mismatched living room furniture including a light-blue, pleather La-Z-boy (really? lightblue pleather?). Like true 20-somethings, we have stocked the freezer with frozen pizzas. Our living room was host to an epic arm-wrestling competition, first the right arm, then the left, and there is talk of hosting pretend American Idol auditions in the near future. Being removed from television, internet, and cellphone reception sparks such creativity (and fun!)
So this house. This house has become our house (is a very, very, very...), complete with dark-brown wood paneling, brown shag carpeting, avocado and gold-detailed floor tiles, a dusty ceiling fan that hums, a deck that hosts nights of cigarettes and conversations (me only enjoying the latter, don't worry, mom!), mismatched living room furniture including a light-blue, pleather La-Z-boy (really? lightblue pleather?). Like true 20-somethings, we have stocked the freezer with frozen pizzas. Our living room was host to an epic arm-wrestling competition, first the right arm, then the left, and there is talk of hosting pretend American Idol auditions in the near future. Being removed from television, internet, and cellphone reception sparks such creativity (and fun!)
"It's just a 6 mile Hike"I have been guilty of diminishing the struggle that is a 6 mile hike to "just" a 6 mile hike, until a friend kindly (and forcefully) reminded me that 6 miles is nothing but "just." If I really think about it, the hike to our campsite was quite challenging. Heavy breathing, slight pinching of muscles under the weight of backpacks, the need to drink an entire gallon of water in one day. For you yoga-naysayers, I would like to share that when I focus on the kinesiology of my body, and use all of my muscles, especially my core (abdomen), I am able to emerge from a 6 mile hike and 10 hour work days pain-free.
Living in the woods is "not an Alternative Lifestyle!"
Here are a couple of our favorite things about our alternative lifestyle:
#1: Being the weird people at rest stops.
Yes, often lacking showers and clean clothing, 5 of us piling out of a white suburban with tools and propane tanks piled on top, we are humbled into a category "people you try not to stare at because they look strange." It is one of our favorite things.
#2: Dinnertime.
Whether we are eating dehydrated beef stroganoff from a bag, or challenging each other to eat more grilled cheese sandwiches (the standing record is 4), dinner is a time for us to share food, swaps stories from the day, and continue our never-ending conversation-topic, "what will you do when you get back in town?" Our warm, communal environment at meals reinforces the notion that a kitchen, even among trees, bushed, deerflies, and spiders, is the heart of a home.
#1: Being the weird people at rest stops.
Yes, often lacking showers and clean clothing, 5 of us piling out of a white suburban with tools and propane tanks piled on top, we are humbled into a category "people you try not to stare at because they look strange." It is one of our favorite things.
#2: Dinnertime.
Whether we are eating dehydrated beef stroganoff from a bag, or challenging each other to eat more grilled cheese sandwiches (the standing record is 4), dinner is a time for us to share food, swaps stories from the day, and continue our never-ending conversation-topic, "what will you do when you get back in town?" Our warm, communal environment at meals reinforces the notion that a kitchen, even among trees, bushed, deerflies, and spiders, is the heart of a home.
"I'd like to be a catcher in the rye..."
One of my favorite pastimes in the wilderness (and in my cable-less apartment) has been reading. Reading for pleasure. After hours of research and reading for class in graduate school, the last thing I wanted to do in my free time was read more. How wrong I was...! I am enjoying every word I read, every thought, every emotion.
Books I've read in the backcountry: Pope Joan, To Kill a Mockingbird, the Red Tent, Dandelion Wine, Catcher in the Rye and You Shall Know our Velocity! A mix of classic, contemporary, and historical fiction. I love them all - especially Mockingbird, Dandelion, and Catcher.
If you are sentimental and nostalgic, like, you have ever saved dried, dead flowers from senior prom and cant seem to part with the crinkled, brown petals, or you have a rock on your desk that you know you plucked from the ground from a meaningful place... but you can't remember where... but you know for sure it was monumental in your life... Dandelion Wine is for you.
If you seek inspiration in humbling, quiet places, and your dreams, though you try to reign them in, burst through stubborn reality into a Utopian Heaven-on-Earth, Mockingbird will blossom in your soul.
And finally, if you have ever lost control of neurotic thoughts, those that judge others harshly, labeling the world as less than deserving of your presence or perhaps as "phony" compared to the brilliant inner-workings of your mind... or have ever been drowned by questions of purpose or meaning, please, indulge in a little Catcher in the Rye.
As for historical fiction - I simply love reading about courageous female characters, breaking bonds of tradition. Pillars of the Earth and World Without End are still my two favorites. And if you've never read Dave Eggers, start with Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius - you won't regret it.
Books I've read in the backcountry: Pope Joan, To Kill a Mockingbird, the Red Tent, Dandelion Wine, Catcher in the Rye and You Shall Know our Velocity! A mix of classic, contemporary, and historical fiction. I love them all - especially Mockingbird, Dandelion, and Catcher.
If you are sentimental and nostalgic, like, you have ever saved dried, dead flowers from senior prom and cant seem to part with the crinkled, brown petals, or you have a rock on your desk that you know you plucked from the ground from a meaningful place... but you can't remember where... but you know for sure it was monumental in your life... Dandelion Wine is for you.If you seek inspiration in humbling, quiet places, and your dreams, though you try to reign them in, burst through stubborn reality into a Utopian Heaven-on-Earth, Mockingbird will blossom in your soul.
And finally, if you have ever lost control of neurotic thoughts, those that judge others harshly, labeling the world as less than deserving of your presence or perhaps as "phony" compared to the brilliant inner-workings of your mind... or have ever been drowned by questions of purpose or meaning, please, indulge in a little Catcher in the Rye.
As for historical fiction - I simply love reading about courageous female characters, breaking bonds of tradition. Pillars of the Earth and World Without End are still my two favorites. And if you've never read Dave Eggers, start with Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius - you won't regret it.
Recommendations?? Assume I fit the above descriptions...
Until next month...
Until next month...
Take care, learn something new, and have an adventure today!
Hey Julie! What an awesome experience you must be having! We are amazed at your fortitude. And by the way, you're an impressive hill climber. Huff puff. Rock on, my special one.
ReplyDeleteOh, Miss Julie, what a grand adventure you are having! Those book characterizations are quite apt, too. You little yogi, you. :) Miss you tons!
ReplyDeleteHoolie your hair looks just the way it did in Spain! Love that you're carrying that summer hairstyle all the way from Alicante to Idaho! :) Have a great next trip!
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