Liberating the Wild Within

The outdoors are my playground. I remember hiking through the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland after a eight months spent in the dry region of Madrid, Spain. It had been too long since I had the opportunity to roam and I just couldn't keep that silly grin off my face. I had hiked up past most of the families who had gone there to picnic and was walking through an evergreen forest bordering the edge of a clear blue lake. On the opposite side I could see where cliffs had eroded, fallen, and slid down to form landslides covered with vegetation that sloped into the lake. As I went farther I stripped off my shirt, cinched up my backpack, and began to run. I hadn't felt that free sensation in months and I couldn't let it go. I ran through an old mine, skipped across rocks to cross a stream, and began bounding up a rocky slope passing waterfalls and deep pools. Eventually I stopped and noticed some deer grazing. I quietly walked over and sat down 20 feet away from them, and began snapping photos. After I had gotten enough I hiked back down and swam in one of the small pools, lying on my back, the sky above me, cascading water behind me. This is what I love.

One of the greatest activites I can think of in the outdoors is camping, namely, backpacking. When I first knew that I would be moving to Bend I hatched a brilliant plan. I would make lots of dried meals, store them in a box, and keep all my backpacking equipment very organized. My goal was to be able to get home from school and have my Osprey pack done up and be back in my car headed for the mountains in under 30 minutes. And so, I did it. Know I have a brown apple box sitting in the garage with about a weeks worth of meals in it. I've got curried rice, mashed potatoes, oatmeal, biscuit mix, and more all, ready to be tossed in my pack. Also, it cost me just over $20! So, know, my next goal is to figure out a way to make backpacking cheaper than staying at home so I will actually save money by going on awesome trips to explore the rugged areas west of Bend. I think I'm doing pretty good on the food side of things, I just need to find a way to cut gas money to a minimum. And, I already have an answer for that - if you want to come, give me a call!