Backpacking Transmissions
I find that being a backpacker for decades is helping me navigate these fluid times. As I was hiking this rainy afternoon, I thought of three lessons I’ve learned from backpacking that seem worth sharing. Consider them external transmissions.
One: Be prepared, carry a little extra, but not much.
Two: Practice the rest step when necessary.
Three: Do the things that make your heart sing.
One: Be prepared, carry a little extra, but not much: Trip prep is always a thoughtful endeavor. One really doesn’t need a clean t-shirt every day…or if you do, wash it! Be nimble, travel lightly. Having one back-up t-shirt was just fine. Carry two pairs of dry socks. Rain protection. Shelter, food, water…the basics. When we plan our meals, we take enough, but not so much that we are loaded down. Our mindfulness practice includes thinking through the lens of sufficiency and resourcefulness. How much toilet paper do I really need? Not much as it turns out! Pack it in, pack it out. When you put it in these terms, less is more!
I remember being on my 30-day Colorado Trail thru-hike. My big treat at the end of the day was one small piece of chocolate. There is something amazingly gratifying about knowing you only have that one piece for the day….and so I completely savored it. My body was happy. It had fresh air, an abundance of exercise, and the appropriate amount of calories for me to travel 8-10 hours a day. My sleep was long and restful. Being in sync with the clouds, the sun, the wind, sunrise and sunset has a particularly grounding effect. This can be, and is, our reality if we are paying attention.
Two: Practice the rest step when necessary: When the mountain was particularly steep (this reminds me of trekking in India) we practiced something called the ‘rest step.’ The rest step is when one foot takes a small step (usually vertically like climbing a ladder) and both feet ‘rest’, one pitched in front of the other. Then the other leads, and you rest, and so on. Sometimes the terrain is so steep and challenging, this is literally the only way to climb it. I think of the times we are in presently. What feels overwhelming? When we have to, how can we take one step forward? Sometimes this is as much an interior as an exterior journey. Rest step, pause, resume. Eventually we made it up the mountain. I thought of this process, one step at a time, during my doctoral work. I swear it is what got me through. It is helpful now as well.
When we get to camp there are the practicalities. Set up shelter. Get water. Change into dry clothes. Take care of your basic needs so you are resourced enough to help others. Who needs a hand with their tent? Starting meal prep? Getting water? We share responsibilities and work together. And if I am by myself, I am working with myself. It’s equally important to enjoy my own company and support my own well-being.
Three: Do the things that make your heart sing: Making that first cup of coffee in the morning and looking out at wherever you are with gratitude. Soaking in the beauty. Bending down and taking a photograph of the droplets of water on a leaf after a rain, or noticing how the lupine and coyote bush like to intertwine, smelling the wet sage on your fingers, listening to the raven overhead. Allowing the brilliance, clarity and abundance of nature to heal your soul and heart. Slowing down to read something, talk to someone, dream. Miracles are all around us, all the time. All these wonders make my heart sing. I was reminded of this while I hiked today. As I hike I am sending love and light to all beings everywhere. This was my walking meditation. That is my practice and carrying what I need for years on my back has taught me that I really don’t need much to be happy. I only carried one book with me for 30 days, Thich Nhat Hanh’s The Energy of Prayer.
As he writes: “The act of praying is not just an empty wish, because behind each prayer there is a practice of mindfulness and concentration…This book began with the question of why we pray. Perhaps, really, all energy of prayer comes back to our simple human desire for happiness and being connected both to other people and to something greater than ourselves. Prayer, whether silent, chanted, or in meditation, is a way to return to ourselves in the present moment and touch the peace within us. It is, simultaneously, a way to put us in touch with the universal and the timeless. Our true happiness comes from being fully conscious in the present moment, aware of our connection to everything in the universe.”
We are connected to everyone and everything, particularly and not so ironically, as we find ourselves in a time of social distancing. From one backpacker to another: Resource yourself. Rest when you can. Get out on the trail. Feel the wind. You are alive. Breathe. Pray. Live in gratitude. Do your part to support a healthy community and planet.
Blooming lupine, rainy Sunday