A walk in the woods

[DCrom]

I hadn’t realized how many others want to go walking in England. I’ve been talking about a walking tour of England for years. After our trip to Britain a couple of years back my wife has signed on, as long as we spend time in London and Edinburgh, too.

The kids aren’t terribly interested in it (too low-key, I think), so we’ll probably wait until daughter #2 enters college before giving it a try. The luxury approach to hiking!

I’m rather in awe of anyone who can manage the whole Pacific Crest trail. I’ve hiked bits of it (and intersecting trails) in the past, but there’s a huge difference between a few day’s walking and the whole multi-thousand mile trail.

Diane, it sounds like you planning on the classic south-to-north route starting in early spring. Wasn’t there a Colin Fletcher book about that hike?

[sbfluter]

I’m not sure if there’s a Colin Fletcher book about the PCT. He did write a book called the 1000 mile summer and walked mainly in the desert. A great read. He was enraptured by the desert flowers all along the way.

[mutepointe]

All that walking doesn’t appeal to me. That’s why when I’ve had it up to here (image my hand at nose level) I’m going to get into my canoe and drift. If you’re on my way (the Kanawha River, Ohio River, Might Mississippi, & New Orleans, invite me in, I’ll want to shower.

[BigDavy]

@djm

Last Wednesday, just before 10:00 a.m., I received a phone call from my boss, a guy ten years my junior and whom I have met once for approx 30 minutes. He was calling to congratulate me on having worked for this large company for 30 years. I was totally caught off guard, as such anniversaries have little or no value to me. I mumbled appropriate thank yous and he rang off. About an hour later, my boss’s boss, a man also younger than me and whom I have never met, called to congratulate me on the same milestone. He made chit-chat while I counted down the 60 seconds exactly till he had finished and hung up.

All this makes me realize that for thirty years I have survived, never liked any of it nor felt I have accomplished anything in any way. I have not had a career, but rather a series of sh!t jobs that I managed to suffer through, and at the end of it I still haven’t enough to retire on or have any idea what I want to do with myself when I grow up.

I would say go for it, if only because you do have some idea of what you want to do. It seems to me that you don’t necessarily need to “accomplish” anything, but rather just do what it seems right for you to be doing. If that activity is hiking through the desert, and that seems to you to be your life’s passion, I would say go for it. You may not be able to ever come back to your existing life or lifestyle, but that means that whatever comes afterwards will also be a new adventure for you. I have never had any goals, but they sound like something worth having if you can find one.

I hope you find joy, whatever your final choice is.

djm

Thanks Deej

You cheered me up no end with this one (I didn’t make it to 30 years though) - yes, my life is good

David