Why are we going?

So why are we going on this trip?

First, it's a big challenge - physically, but more so mentally.  I think Liz and I both want to see if we can actually make it.  There will be low points... the day will come when it's been raining for 5 days straight, we've been eating the same noodles for dinner every day for 2 weeks, and we have 8 more miles of hiking through scratchy bush on a muddy trail before we can set up our tent in the rain and eat a cold dinner.  Can we push through moments like that and accomplish the feat of hiking across an entire country?  If we can, we'll come out the other side with a fantastic sense of accomplishment.



Second, backpacking brings perspective.  Narrowing your life down to those 4 essential things - walking, eating, drinking, and sleeping - gives you a lot of time to reflect.  You exist without any extraneous things; the fact that you have to carry all of your things on your back forces you to minimize to the bare essentials.  When you live in that simplified state for more than a few days, things that loomed large in your daily working life suddenly reveal themselves as small, transient, and insignificant.  Other things that you somehow manage to ignore when you are busy, overworked, tired, and stressed - your family, your friends, your mental well being - emerge as the things that are really important in life.

For various reasons, the past year has been one of the more stressful periods in both of our lives.  As a result, we've been neglecting things that really matter to us: our families, our friends, our fitness, and ultimately our happiness.  This trip is a chance to back away from everything, get some fresh perspective, and have a chance to come back with better balance in our lives.