Journey

What a week we've had here in Maine. An incredible (and disappointing - where is the snow??) amount of rain. A work-visit from my parents and celebrating Laurent's 9th birthday. But before this week hit we started it all off with our winter backpacking trip to Camden Hills State Park.

Damien wrote a brief trip report earlier this week but now it's my turn to share photos of our beautiful weekend and a few thoughts.

Trip Specs

Our destination for this trip was the log cabin ski shelter at the aforementioned Camden Hills State Park here in Maine. The shelter is not advertised you just have to know about it and reserve in advance for overnight stays. We stumbled on this cabin almost three years ago and since finding this treasure we are always on the look out for other great places to stay like this. Reserving the shelter is incredibly affordable at $3.10 per person per night.

The shelter is situated 2 miles from the main parking lot on a multi-use trail which is fairly flat and easy to hike. From the cabin you can access several of the park's trails, most of which lead to or connect with trails that reach the beautiful views atop Mt. Megunticook. The cabin serves as a great home base for a weekend of easy, beautiful and not too remote wilderness exploring.

I could continue to give a synopsis of Camden Hills State Park and its trails but I'd rather talk about our overall experience (the photos will tell the hiking stories); the things we changed from last year and what we took home from the weekend.

Getting Better at Doing This

Last year's trip was our first time ever backpacking. We backpacked again late last summer and the combination of those experiences together with further research gave us a few things to try for this trip.

• Less clothes. It's so easy to overpack in this regard. We were very fortunate to have avoided the rain that started to pour a couple days after we returned home. Hiking in that cold, wet weather would have been miserable (talk about cabin fever!) and required us to pack rain gear. As it was we didn't take any. Nor did we take our really cold weather gear since the temperatures were very mild, hovering around freezing.
• Better packs. Last year I was so sore from the pack I had. It was simply an ill fitting (though well made) pack for my petite stature. Damien, bless his heart - that man does everything possible to make me comfortable, sold that pack and bought me new one. It's a bit smaller (yeah! I don't have to carry as much weight) but fits me so comfortably. This year I felt I could have walked much farther with that pack on my back and I didn't experience any soreness like last year's hip and shoulder bruising.
• Shared meals. This year we not only hiked again with my folks but also our friends Renee and John Sifferman (& their awesome dog Ronin). We shared breakfasts and suppers and each family was on their own for lunches. We divvied up the shared meals which especially saved us time in packing (making double of one meal is easier than making 2 separate meals) and also gave everyone a break from cooking during the trip.

• The more the merrier. This wasn't something we necessarily learned from previous trips but was an opportunity we have wanted for sometime; to enjoy the outdoors with other people, in addition to our cozy five-some. The outdoors is something we love. Things you love you want to share with others. What a treat to share this awesome family experience with both my parents and the Sifferman's. So many wonderful conversations, dreams, ideas, physical work, great food and lots of rest - all experienced together. Getting outdoors with like minded folks - highly recommended!

Looking Back: Moving Forward

On a more personal note (look away guys if discussing menstruation makes you uneasy) this was the first backpacking/camping trip in a whole year that I haven't had to deal with my period. What a nice break! A revelation less intimate but just as important is that I am "getting into" this so much more. I am not just along for the ride anymore because my husband loves this. I love this!

Sure, I don't particularly love the work of getting ready (which Damien does most of) but you know what, life is work. We're just choosing to spend those work hours in support of our values.

Living according to our values. That was the huge take home message of the weekend. We value family. The weekend had lots of that; three generations. We value hospitality & community building, did lots of that too. We value the outdoors. Well of course that was the major purpose of the trip, actually getting into nature. We value creativity. Oh boy, you don't even want to know the crazy ideas we talked about (actually you do but you'll just have to wait and see). The possibilities to create partnerships, livelihoods and living spaces. We value our faith. It's our faith that draws us outdoors and together with other people in the first place. We value real-life, physical work. Carrying your share of the weight, feeling your tired muscles at the end of the day but also feeling fulfilled and fit, what a fantastic way to go to sleep (at 8:30pm). We value good food (real food, prepared at home food). We ate so well, what a blessing. We do have other values but the weekend was rich in experiences that highlighted the most important ones.

Living an inspired and inspiring life. That was the other predominant theme of the weekend for me. Which is intertwined with living according to your values because 1) people who live authentically are inspiring and 2) you need to be inspired (and a little stubborn and idealistic) to live authentically.

Much of the weekend was spent talking and listening; dreaming and scheming. I came home from last weekend inspired to do something about it. To make changes on the small level that affect change on the big level. In short, I came home inspired. And to think I didn't have to pay big bucks, leave my family and travel to some overpriced hotel (conveniently located in a concrete jungle next to the airport) to attend a retreat, workshop or girly blog conference to feel this way. I just needed to be outdoors, physically exerting myself, with my family and friends, sharing conversation and meals. I think there's a lesson in here. (You'll find that John talked about these same ideas in his reflections from the weekend. Great minds think alike!)

Right now the lesson for me is about putting our values and all the things we hope to accomplish with our lives into action. Putting our daily planner and our pocketbooks into where we say our heart is.

Hard work? Yes. But living the life you want is good work, life changing work, family building work. Kind of like backpacking.

I took this photo of my wedding bands on our hike this weekend. I found myself grabbing for trees a lot as I hauled my you-know-what up the steep side of a mountain. I snapped this on one of those climbs when nothing else interesting presented itself to be photographed. Maybe I was being sentimental, reflecting on the meaning of these rings, seeing as we had just celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary the night before.

Was it all the celebrating; rich food, wine and relaxing that made me so dogged tired during this hike? Why was it that the kids were outpacing me, encouraging me on and not the other way around?

To be very honest this has been a common thread running through the story of our adventures together for the past year or so, ever since Damien started to take this "family outdoor time" to the next level. Which translates to hiking most weekends and re-adjusting home schedules to accommodate what we both agree to be very important time we spend together with our kids.

Why do I find myself lagging behind? Both figuratively and literally - I'm the one always stopping to take photos so I tend to fall to the back of our pack. Why are my kids more keen for these adventures than I am? There are a lot of reasons to be sure and we're working on those but at the very basic level I think it's because living this way involves change for me. The kids don't know any different. Don't all Daddy's prepare trail lunches on Friday night, pack the family up each weekend, and lead them on exciting adventures, encouraging them, listening to their needs and challenging them to go farther?

But this is not my norm. My norm which is based on how I grew up, the prevailing culture and the earlier years of marriage when our children were little, is weekends at home. With maybe an afternoon walk or personal exercise time. Time for puttering, building, fixing, creating, playing, yard work - you know weekend stuff.

Now before I go on I need to say something - Damien does all those in addition to our weekend adventures. He's not a slouch, at all. But I'd like to share a few of our differences that we are now becoming more aware of.

Damien:

Good at compartmentalizing life and letting go of things that are not in the moment. Ie: on the trail he doesn't stress that (insert current housework project here) is not finished. Energized and fulfilled by a vigorous day outdoors. Patient through process and a good problem solver. Very motivated to work diligently all week; days at his actual computer programming job, one weekend day for house projects and then evenings spent with the family to ensure we have an entire day we can take off and go sweat on the side of mountain somewhere. An early riser and overall quite disciplined. Incredibly devoted husband, father and provider.

Renee:

Day job flows seamlessly into my night job (24 hour job) and my life feels like a ball of yarn all wrapped up all together. Physical exercise is not something I would choose to do on my own but I will join others if the output required is "reasonable" and the rewards somewhat immediate. A gorgeous photo counts as a reward. Quite adventurous and willing to try almost anything not too dangerous but mostly a comfort-loving homebody. Love accomplishing something tangible, much more focused on achieving the goal than the process of getting there. Find the journey of trial and error and learning from mistakes so tedious and frustrating. Motivated to work hard for spurts of time so I can sit on my duff and do nothing for other periods of time. Homemaking, kiddos, husband - my loves, my life.

Did we know all this about each other when we made our vows 13 summers ago? Absolutely not. We knew what we needed to know and knew that our commitment to each other would see us through the rest.

And these current struggles are just part of the rest. On our house workday this weekend, the day after our hike, I was complaining to Damien that the compromises of married life are so difficult sometimes. He said he doesn't see them as compromises but the journey of becoming one. Wow, I can't believe I married this amazing guy! I guess I do know how to pick 'em.

To re-frame these thoughts; this path of becoming one, from two, is difficult some days (months). We both make sacrifices and on our best days sincerely try to let love, submission and respect guide our actions. It's not easy becoming one where there was two and I hope that it's the best of ourselves that shines through this union.

So I'm going to continue to put on that pack (which Damien prepares for me) and he'll continue to have busy weeks working his job and maintaining our home. These are just part of how we show our love and commitment to one another. And hopefully (I'm banking on it) we'll be closer friends, lovers and partners because of it. Till the very sweet end.

(Love you Babe ~ always.)

Something that may not be obvious is that this space, ADVENTUREinPROGRESS, is a shared blog. Someday we hope our whole family, 3 kiddos and maybe even grandparents, will post written word, video and photos here to encourage other families to get outdoors and enjoy adventure. But for right now it's just me and Damien, or should I say Damien because I've been so busy on my own blog, FIMBY and taking care of kids and home that I haven't had much time to write here.

However, I figure it's time for me to weigh in on this series that Damien has been writing about. Actually, I've been contributing the whole time behind the scenes with editing and taking care of family responsibilities so Damien could put together this series and his presentation (which I have to admit I haven't watched). But I also have some things to say about minimalist footwear, that come from a bit of a different perspective that you might find helpful.

Changing the way I walk and switching footwear has not been an easy transition for me. I do feel, after watching the difference it's made in Damien's joint health and in my own, that the effort is worth it but that doesn't mean it's been easy.

knitting while I rest my feet

Last summer I started hiking in Vibram Five fingers and man, did that ever feel funny and so unnatural. After all I was used to hiking boots with cushioning, arch support and lots of ankle supports. But if you've been following this minimalist footwear series you know these measures are more detrimental than healthful. And I had the increasingly sore knee to prove it.

I'm happy to report that since hiking in minimalist footwear I have eliminated my knee problem, which I am very grateful for. I am way to young, 33 to be exact, to be experiencing limited mobility. In fact I feel any age, except maybe 90 is too young to be experiencing limited mobility. I want to be hiking, mountain biking, surfing - whatever my kids want to be doing - with my children and grandchildren for many years (my own mom inspires me in this regard).

So, with that as my goal I am willing to go through transitions and change to keep my body healthy. Which is why I've also mostly given up certain foods that, if over eaten, are proven to send you to an early grave or the very least debilitate you for your "golden years".

... I digress, back to making the transition. If you are new to changing your footwear and your walking gait I want to encourage you. I'm new to it also. I love my squishy pink crocs and have troubles finding minimalist shoes that fit well and are fashionable. Now you should know I'm not a high maintenance fashion chick, heck I shower in the woods, don't wear make-up and have minimal hand-me down & sale rack clothing. However I am kind of picky about how my shoes look. If I'm only going to own a couple pairs I want them to be the kind of style that projects who I am - spunky yet down to earth. We're still looking to find the right summer pair to replace my crocs which are aging, paint splattered and wearing out.

The point of that whole story is that if you are making a change and struggling, I hear you. My husband Damien is much more optimistic about change and finds it an exciting challenge. I find it overwhelming.

So I'm saying to myself "hang in there". I'm saying to you "hang in there". Give it an honest try before you decide minimalist footwear just isn't for you. Because really it's not about the footwear but about your health. And I think health and longevity is worth changing for.