do an overnight hike

I nave not done this but feel that it would be a worthwhile departure from my everyday life as a corporate zomie.

I’ve done nothing about this goal!

Will make more of an effort this year. A friend has just moved back to Australia and her partner wants to do a week long hike…might be just what I need to get moving!

Peace Pilgrim said “How inspiring it is to walk all day in the sunshine and sleep all night under the stars. What a wonderful experience in simple, natural living. Since you carry your food, sleeping equipment, etc., on your back, you learn quickly that unnecessary possessions are unnecessary burdens. You soon realize what the essentials of life are – such as warmth when you are cold, a dry spot on a rainy day, the simplest food when you are hungry, pure cool water when you are thirsty. You soon put material things in their proper place, realizing that they are there for use, but relinquishing them when they are not useful. you soon experience and learn to appreciated the great freedom of simplicity.”

What a lovely quote. It only inspires more excitment for my upcoming excursion.

Under some definitions I have completed this goal. I have been lucky enough to complete a multi day hike through tribal villages in the highlands of Thailand and I have trekked the Inca Trail to Manchu Pichu in Peru. While these excursions have been physically taxing I have always felt somewhat shamed that the majority of my gear and food has been carried by porters. Hiring a porter creates valuable work opportunities in tourist areas but these trips have never quenched my desire to complete an entirely self sufficient multi day hike. I crave the challenge of planning meals, efficiently packing gear, carrying my own map and then foraging my own way onto the trail.

I won’t be entirely on my own since my fiance and I have longed discussed the possibility of completing this challenge together. With our wedding planned for December talk has shifted to incorporating an overnight hike into our honeymoon. While not considered a traditional honeymoon activity I welcome the idea of starting our new phase of life with an experience that we will undoubtedly remember forever.

No one I know is really interested in doing this with me and I don’t think I should be out there on my own (lone woman and all). So the club idea might just work. They meet twice a month…we’ll see :)

as it’s winter over here in nz the motivation to go outside let alone hike for day is underwhelming. I’m going to have to kick start my body in summer to want to get outside and get slightly fit for a start – then hit the mountains!