PDA

View Full Version : Nice Out



aficion
10-30-2013, 19:45
How many of you have made a "lifestyle choice", to live where you can go walk a couple of miles, spend the night under the stars, maybe even on the AT, without having to decide to ahead of time.
Just decided. Going walkin'. See you tomorrow. I know I'm not the only one.:D

SipseyFreak
10-30-2013, 19:59
I wish ... right now I have to drive 2 hrs to get to the trailhead ... there are closer places, but none in which I can escape ...

Lone Wolf
10-30-2013, 20:07
How many of you have made a "lifestyle choice", to live where you can go walk a couple of miles, spend the night under the stars, maybe even on the AT, without having to decide to ahead of time.
Just decided. Going walkin'. See you tomorrow. I know I'm not the only one.:D

me. for the last 28 years. i'm walkin' trash

johnnybgood
10-30-2013, 20:11
Soon. Yep...soon.

Carbo
10-30-2013, 20:13
The best things in life are free.

fredmugs
10-30-2013, 20:29
Not yet. I may live to hike but I haven't made it to the hike to live phase yet.

Tri-Pod Bob
10-30-2013, 20:31
Right there with you & LW, aficion. Now that I'm no longer a part of the working world (nor married, nor saddled with home ownership, kids are adults), I've purposely adopted a very minimalist way of living. Lot's of places to "disappear" here in my neck of the woods. Many notable trails in my area , incl. 20 min. to the NET (aka M-M Trail), 45 min. to the AT (Mt. Greylock) & an hour to the LT at the Vt-Ma line or the Taconic crest Trail. Easy access to wherever I please in Ma, Vt, NH, Me, Ct & NY............all with beautiful & remote places/trails that I can get to....whenever I feel like it!

Coffee
10-30-2013, 20:35
Surprisingly nice trails on VA side of Potomac upriver from DC but no legal camping so only good for day hikes.

Lone Wolf
10-30-2013, 20:35
i can cure "springer fever" any time i want

hikerboy57
10-30-2013, 20:37
i can cure "springer fever" any time i want
yeah but i got the beach.
oh frack, hurricanes , i forgot.
well the mtns are only 90 minutes away.

Dogwood
10-30-2013, 21:33
How many of you have made a "lifestyle choice", to live where you can go walk a couple of miles, spend the night under the stars, maybe even on the AT, without having to decide to ahead of time.
Just decided. Going walkin'. See you tomorrow. I know I'm not the only one.:D

Me! I choose to live in Hawaii part of the yr, changed my career choice(majors) mid stream, adopted a simpler non status quo seeking less materialistic attitude(don't own a TV for example, prefer to walk, cycle, or take public transit, etc), question consumption, question habits as they can quickly turn into grabby addictions, live very frugally(realistically could be raking in a high six figure paycheck if I wanted), sold all my businesses, am willing to routinely live out of a backpack for long periods, etc all so that I can enjoy the outdoors, commune with NATURE MORE OFTEN, feel like I'm living on the edge at times, and possibly be exposed to a greater awareness. I enjoy embracing the unknown as I know in that place is the realm of all possibilities. I want to know I'm truly alive, to realize and display in my actions that Life is a precious gift, that each moment is to be cherished, to be mindful how I spend my time as it's a HUGELY valuable commodity in the few decades we walk the Earth. What might that say about me. Last thing I want is to live my life from a Lazy Boy Recliner(or in front of a computer or gabbing away or through a soap opera or ir-reality TV show) as I complacently fall into a stupor letting myself be badly brain washed by the airwaves dying a slow death of mediocrity and mundane living. Reeks of the worst odor to me.

Ahh, breathe, breathe. However, one should not assume you need live in the backcountry or in places like Maine or Hawaii or Alaska to enjoy the outdoors. I notice plenty of mindful intelligent city planners and developers offering outdoor space to pursue activities like cycling/running/hiking trails, gardening, paddling, athletic fields, etc. Heck, if I'm creative and open enough to the possibilities I can be in a major city and find solitude, sereneness, stars, green fields, contentment, places to enjoyably stroll, laugh, something to appreciate, etc as those things aren't always things and they are as much internal as external. Look at what my friend Snorkel did when she did that 3 day 100 mile hike through LA as articled in a recent edition of Backpacker mag. She went in with a right attitude(and kept hold of it), took the hike in context of what it was(not what it wasn't!), focused on mostly the good things and the things to appreciate yet kept her awareness up, focused on finding ways to appreciate the trek, stayed true to who she is at heart, AND as a result had a decent experience. Love it. Way to go Snorkel!

U know I have to give credit to 10-k too. He helped me see things differently. I was starting to get a little pissy in my accounts of the GA Pinhoti section through Dalton. He said something to the effect: "You just gotta take the hike in that section for what it currently is." In affect saying don't look at that section for what it isn't. Look at it from the perspective of of the possible benefits that it affords. I took something meaningful and helpful advice by what he said. I had to cease being so negative about that section. If I had taken the attitude as 10-k said when I hiked that section I would have likely had a better experience through that section. Why do I say all that. Because it relates to having a greater appreciation for opps that are available. It helps in noticing the varied beauty all around. And, it affects are lives and our lifestyles.

HikerMom58
10-30-2013, 22:27
Me! I choose to live in Hawaii part of the yr, changed my career choice(majors) mid stream, adopted a simpler non status quo seeking less materialistic attitude(don't own a TV for example, prefer to walk, cycle, or take public transit, etc), question consumption, question habits as they can quickly turn into grabby addictions, live very frugally(realistically could be raking in a high six figure paycheck if I wanted), sold all my businesses, am willing to routinely live out of a backpack for long periods, etc all so that I can enjoy the outdoors, commune with NATURE MORE OFTEN, feel like I'm living on the edge at times, and possibly be exposed to a greater awareness. I enjoy embracing the unknown as I know in that place is the realm of all possibilities. I want to know I'm truly alive, to realize and display in my actions that Life is a precious gift, that each moment is to be cherished, to be mindful how I spend my time as it's a HUGELY valuable commodity in the few decades we walk the Earth. What might that say about me. Last thing I want is to live my life from a Lazy Boy Recliner(or in front of a computer or gabbing away or through a soap opera or ir-reality TV show) as I complacently fall into a stupor letting myself be badly brain washed by the airwaves dying a slow death of mediocrity and mundane living. Reeks of the worst odor to me.

Ahh, breathe, breathe. However, one should not assume you need live in the backcountry or in places like Maine or Hawaii or Alaska to enjoy the outdoors. I notice plenty of mindful intelligent city planners and developers offering outdoor space to pursue activities like cycling/running/hiking trails, gardening, paddling, athletic fields, etc. Heck, if I'm creative and open enough to the possibilities I can be in a major city and find solitude, sereneness, stars, green fields, contentment, places to enjoyably stroll, laugh, something to appreciate, etc as those things aren't always things and they are as much internal as external. Look at what my friend Snorkel did when she did that 3 day 100 mile hike through LA as articled in a recent edition of Backpacker mag. She went in with a right attitude(and kept hold of it), took the hike in context of what it was(not what it wasn't!), focused on mostly the good things and the things to appreciate yet kept her awareness up, focused on finding ways to appreciate the trek, stayed true to who she is at heart, AND as a result had a decent experience. Love it. Way to go Snorkel!

U know I have to give credit to 10-k too. He helped me see things differently. I was starting to get a little pissy in my accounts of the GA Pinhoti section through Dalton. He said something to the effect: "You just gotta take the hike in that section for what it currently is." In affect saying don't look at that section for what it isn't. Look at it from the perspective of of the possible benefits that it affords. I took something meaningful and helpful advice by what he said. I had to cease being so negative about that section. If I had taken the attitude as 10-k said when I hiked that section I would have likely had a better experience through that section. Why do I say all that. Because it relates to having a greater appreciation for opps that are available. It helps in noticing the varied beauty all around. And, it affects are lives and our lifestyles.

Okay, I hear everything you said, Dogwood, and I agree 100%. :>)

Now, just transfer everything you just said about finding beauty in all surroundings & think about all the different people you meet. Same thing. Don't ever try to squeeze others into a mold of how you think they should be, think or act. I've been there. Don't see people for what they are not. Except them just the way they are & find the beauty in them. It's there, Dogwood... it's there. You are a deep thinker, that's why I like to share this with you. I enjoy deep thinkers. :>)

aficion... good for you for getting outside tonight. :)

I was sitting in my car in a parking lot right by I81 waiting to go for a walk/run with my daughter this afternoon. I was looking up at the sky admiring the clouds & blue sky when all of a sudden a flock of starlings appeared in the sky. They moved together is such a beautiful way, it blew my mind. I was in awe.

My reaction to seeing something like that is always the same.... a beautiful sunset, sunrise too many things to even try to list. I have this intense desire to worship the creator of these things. Every fiber of my being wants to bow down & worship the Creator. I love to be outside to enjoy the creation.

I understand that things aren't perfect, far from it, but I want to embrace the good things.
There are still a lot of good things to be found, when you pay attention to it. :D

Slo-go'en
10-31-2013, 00:55
Every day I'm thankful for where I live and that most other people live some place else.
24684 For example, todays sun set.

Trailweaver
10-31-2013, 01:32
Not as close as I'd like to be to the AT, but I'm really close to several rivers, and I can kayak in less than 30 minutes! That helps me "scratch the itch" in between the times when I can go hiking.

Rain Man
10-31-2013, 09:51
... to live where you can go walk a couple of miles, ... without having to decide to ahead of time. Just decided. Going walkin'. See you tomorrow. I know I'm not the only one.:D

Oh, the irony. As you were posting, I was returning from just such a day! Two friends (one back in town for a day) invited me on Tuesday night to go day hike with them on Thursday. So ... I went! Not on the AT, but a very nice trail where I've never set foot a couple of hours away on the Cumberland Plateau here in Tennessee. What a beautiful day it was, and great footpath along a river.

Now we plan to take some beginners there some time soon and spread the free wealth.

Rain:sunMan

.

Sarcasm the elf
10-31-2013, 11:14
Every day I'm thankful for where I live and that most other people live some place else.
24684 For example, todays sun set.

Slo-go'en's doing it right.

The view out my front door every morning makes the long train ride to work worth it.
https://fbcdn-photos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/s720x720/398763_10152366353600024_514089709_n.jpg

Storm
10-31-2013, 11:33
I don't live close to any really good trail but being retired I have plenty of time to drive a few hours to get to some nice trails. My wife is pretty good about my addiction so everything is cool. Most times I decide to leave pretty much as a spur of the moment thing. Not as good as living in Damascus but it will have to do.

Tri-Pod Bob
10-31-2013, 11:42
Slo-go'en's doing it right.

The view out my front door every morning makes the long train ride to work worth it.
https://fbcdn-photos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/s720x720/398763_10152366353600024_514089709_n.jpg
+1 on this......living in a locale that is convenient to the lifestyle makes things much easier! BTW....congrats Shelton, Ct for being chosen to supply the WH Xmas tree this year......though, I don't really approve of killing trees for that purpose!

aficion
10-31-2013, 13:35
Every day I'm thankful for where I live and that most other people live some place else.
24684 For example, todays sun set.

Ottie asked me to share his Halloween Sunrise.https://mail-attachment.googleusercontent.com/attachment/u/0/?view=att&th=1420f8d3581afb61&attid=0.1&disp=inline&realattid=1450432639476432896-1&safe=1&zw&saduie=AG9B_P98ggvEBycxWzO2i-amp6dE&sadet=1383240825278&sads=QyvCic2UvAwb5qcc2Y_2yuAn1d4&sadssc=1:sun

aficion
10-31-2013, 13:37
He liked his presents.https://mail-attachment.googleusercontent.com/attachment/u/0/?view=att&th=1420f9091c368229&attid=0.1&disp=inline&realattid=1450432845761740800-1&safe=1&zw&saduie=AG9B_P98ggvEBycxWzO2i-amp6dE&sadet=1383241038095&sads=NklfQrWL8RiV9Kb-GKIKv5EzDdo

aficion
10-31-2013, 13:40
Thanks for all the thoughtful replies.

Looking homeward this morning from Ottie's place:https://mail-attachment.googleusercontent.com/attachment/u/0/?view=att&th=1420f8f742ea1101&attid=0.1&disp=inline&realattid=1450432784796483584-1&safe=1&zw&saduie=AG9B_P98ggvEBycxWzO2i-amp6dE&sadet=1383241191696&sads=KsqgNwqANrdh81evekQYJdm5t0g

A.T.Lt
10-31-2013, 13:44
yeah but i got the beach.
oh frack, hurricanes , i forgot.
well the mtns are only 90 minutes away.

They should have made the trail closer to the beach! How great would that be, beach and trail within minutes of each other?
I can see High Point monument from my house, i cross the AT at the NYS thruway on my way to work , and cross in at the Palisades on my way home...Its a tease and taunts me every day! Im minutes from a half a dozen trail heads!

Bronk
10-31-2013, 14:44
I live a mile about 100,000 acres of federal land. I can have my canoe in the water or be at a trailhead in 20 minutes if the mood strikes me...and it does pretty often. I'm out there at least a couple times a week year round.

Namtrag
10-31-2013, 15:08
I have this as a goal, but can't see it happening unless I can figure out how to live on social security alone in 15 years.

I was looking online at some little $80-100k, 750 sq ft cabins for sale in Fancy Gap/Hillsville area, and that looks like a good target if I can figure out how to do it later on in life.

Pedaling Fool
10-31-2013, 15:27
Yeah, I can go UFO hunting on a whim.

Dogwood
10-31-2013, 16:16
They should have made the trail closer to the beach! How great would that be, beach and trail within minutes of each other?

You can have this on other trails/routes. Sometimes the trail is the beach.

johnnybgood
10-31-2013, 16:43
They should have made the trail closer to the beach! How great would that be, beach and trail within minutes of each other?

You can have this on other trails/routes. Sometimes the trail is the beach.

False Cape State Park is a great example of trails on the beach. Backpacking there means hiking miles to a campsite on a mile wide spit of land between the back bay and the ocean.

Tri-Pod Bob
10-31-2013, 16:52
False Cape State Park is a great example of trails on the beach. Backpacking there means hiking miles to a campsite on a mile wide spit of land between the back bay and the ocean.

Sounds sweet!! I prefer the mountain forests & sleepy dells, but really appreciate a nice coastal spot, too. My folks/sibs all migrated to the SW coast of Fla. over the yrs & it's nice to hit that area, with the Myakka River, Everglades, various oceanside parks, etc. close by.

aficion
10-31-2013, 16:54
False Cape State Park is a great example of trails on the beach. Backpacking there means hiking miles to a campsite on a mile wide spit of land between the back bay and the ocean.

Backpacked in 6 miles with my 4 kids and camped on the beach there for four nights in August, 2011. Awesome place, great memories. Have canoed in solo on Back Bay. Got up close and personal with the cottonmouth water moccasins. Biked in with the 3 boys another time. My favorite beach in VA. Good fishing and crabbing too.

rocketsocks
10-31-2013, 17:07
While I've made no choice to move nearer the trail, I have made a conscious decision to seek out wooded areas near my home to hike. Here in the congested North East open space is a commodity, however the last couple decades have reserved many small parcels of land near my home, some wooded, and some open fields. Stringing these together has allowed me to walk unimpeded for a days hike, with a minimal of road walking. I've enjoyed researching and then taking day jaunts exploring some of these fine pacifiers...my trail away from the trail.

Tri-Pod Bob
10-31-2013, 17:11
Backpacked in 6 miles with my 4 kids and camped on the beach there for four nights in August, 2011. Awesome place, great memories. Have canoed in solo on Back Bay. Got up close and personal with the cottonmouth water moccasins. Biked in with the 3 boys another time. My favorite beach in VA. Good fishing and crabbing too.

Now I know where I'm going after my attempt on a SOBO AT thru next year! Sis is in New Port Ritchey with 2 sea kayaks, bro in Punta Gorda with the truck, the fishing gear & the time. Proper recoup time between trips are a priority, though. A couple of days on the Peace River should do nicely!

Dogwood
10-31-2013, 17:13
Thanks Johhnybgood for bringing that to our attention. I wasn't aware that is available in False Cape SP. "I prefer the mountain forests & sleepy dells..." Actually, there are trails where you can have all of it. No need to choose beach or mountain forests or sleepy dells. More than a few exist, right here on the east coast. They just don't get the ink that more popular trails/routes do.

winger
10-31-2013, 17:35
Finally retired, just two weeks ago, so I'll be on the trail "without reservations" as often as I want, and my harley is always ready to take me down the road too.....
What a long strange trip it's been.

Dogwood
10-31-2013, 17:41
Ahh, you're making me reminisce. Spent many a day fishing up river for largemouth bass, and then, close to the Gulf of Mexico, for Snook, Redfish, Sea Trout, Sheepshead, Snapper, etc sometimes ALL in the same day on the Peace River. Lived in Tampa, Punta Gorda, and Ft Myers for a number of yrs. Sea kayaking near New port Richey try the Gulf and Tampa Bay(high tide) and don't forget you have sections of the Little Manatee and Hillsborough Rivers.

map man
10-31-2013, 20:17
Unfortunately no, unless I want to go hike in some corn fields. I do like to daydream from time to time about which mountain hamlet out west (in the vicinity of the continental divide) my wife and I could have a summer residence when we retire (hopefully in just a few years).

Tri-Pod Bob
10-31-2013, 21:28
Ahh, you're making me reminisce. Spent many a day fishing up river for largemouth bass, and then, close to the Gulf of Mexico, for Snook, Redfish, Sea Trout, Sheepshead, Snapper, etc sometimes ALL in the same day on the Peace River. Lived in Tampa, Punta Gorda, and Ft Myers for a number of yrs. Sea kayaking near New port Richey try the Gulf and Tampa Bay(high tide) and don't forget you have sections of the Little Manatee and Hillsborough Rivers.
I've dropped 1 of the kayaks in many times there. My sister's back yard is the Gulf. Little Manatee is on the "to do" list since my last trip south in March. I'll scope out Hillsborough, too! Thanks for that info.....sorry to get so off thread

Pringles
11-01-2013, 19:20
I'm not close to the AT, but I'm only about 35 miles from the North Country Trail in a few places, Canada's Voyageur Trail is just across the river, Pictured Rocks is a couple of hours away, as is Lake Superior Provincial Park. I can kayak in Lakes Superior, Huron or Michigan fairly quickly, or canoe on inland lakes. The real problem is that when the beaches are a beautiful white, it's because of snow. I'm not all that fond of winter.