Recently I took part on a journey from the Mountains to the Sea, about 300km of hiking, biking, rafting and canoeing. As the trip progressed the comforts of home diminished. No running water, no toilet door, hmmm for a lot of the trip we didn’t even have a toilet, so had to dig a hole in the ground, food was cooked over camp stoves, cell phone coverage was minimal at best, I couldn’t even check my emails. One night I even lacked shelter as the rain come down, and my new bivy bag proved its was much better at capturing water than keeping it out!
Despite the lack of what is normal, it was a great trip. Over the days simple things became more and more like a treat. Bevan’s bag of lollies at the leaders meetings, dry toilet paper, a jam sandwich while floating down a river etc....
It got me thinking, how much of what I have do i really need? The answer is a bit scary, as I have a lot more than I need to live. I guess the long term challenge is to try to live life more simply, with less stuff. In doing so I will be able to appreciate the little things more.
