Backpacking the Future

Now that I'm getting old, I don't go backpacking as much as I'd like. There's always something tugging at me to keep me away from the multi-day trips into the wilderness.

For one thing, Carole doesn't backpack and I don't like being away from her for too long, so that bites at my conscience and tends to make me get lonely when the sun fades below the horizon and the darkness falls with the totality one only sees in the big outdoors.

Also, there's the job. It's very hard for me to work out vacation that's not already dedicated to my family.

And I don't have a normal work week because the USPS works a six-day schedule. So I only have a normal weekend once every five weeks. This makes it tough to schedule a good string of days to go backpacking.

Plus there's the creative work. My novels demand a lot out of me. I enjoy creating works of fiction, but the worlds tend to be needy things. Characters constantly nag for attention. Plots constantly request revision. It's tough, sometimes, to have a novel that needs to be completed.

So there's that.

But, as I said, I'm getting old. There are only so many days left to me where I can physically carry a load of supplies on my back and hike into the mountains. I need to fill that dwindling supply of days with adventure.

Here's to a few more good years.