Finding Time to Hike

Backpacking the Treeline with Snowshoes

Jun 6, 2006

As we move into summer, a struggle develops between domestic responsibilities and the freedom of high mountains and blue green evergreen forests.

Domestic:

1.Of or relating to the family or household: domestic chores.

2.Fond of home life and household affairs.

(source - Mirriam Webster Dictionary)

Being domestic is a fine attribute. After a long day going places with your spouse, perhaps doing things for them, you then sit on the couch and watch television for the evening. Husbands are domestic. Some boyfriends are. Domestic men make women happy.

I see domestic as the first stage of hell. Not so much for what it makes you do, but what you have to give up.

By being nondomestic, I am able to throw my pack into the back of my truck and head up to the mountains without hardly a care in the world. You would have to go a long, long, way to find three souls more happy than me and those two dogs when we start up that trail.

I know I shouldnt go, because there is plenty of work to do at home. I need to call a plummer and have the main exit line from my house rotored out. The last two times I washed clothes water came up through two drains.

I need to start scraping the house and putting primer on it to prep for painting. I need to take the big stack of mail off the counter and sort it. I need to sweep in the bedrooms. I need to clean the toilet.

I have this debate pretty often - Let me see, what should I do, sweep and clean the toilets or watch sunrise at the edge of timberline, where spring is just beginning, and the fresh cold air is filled with a chorus of mountain birdsong?

I have a feeling the work I need to do at home will wait for me.

Me and the dogs are going backpacking. Again. Heading up Thursday night, right after work. A lot of snow has melted lately, and this time I envision going off trail up to near treeline, which was not possible two weeks ago, except with snowshoes.

What chance do you think I would have putting off my home chores for this if I had a wife or a girlfriend nearby?

No, I will leave domestic for other kind of men - boyfriends, my exwife's new husband

And when I get home on Saturday night I will clean up and head straight to the dance hall, to hold and squeeze and twirl gorgeous honky tonk angels til early Sunday morning.

Another benefit of being nondomestic.

Life is just too damn short to be too responsible.

The copyright of the article Finding Time to Hike in Backpacking, Hiking & Camping is owned by James E. Ratzloff. Permission to republish Finding Time to Hike must be granted by the author in writing.

Comments

Jun 10, 2006 12:30 PM

Kelby Carr :

Great article. I agree completely. We are probably one couple that should be utterly domestic. We have a toddler and newborn twins. But we rarely sit at home and do nothing. We traveled for months around Europe with our daughter when she was 1. We loved that we could wake up in the morning, and just hop the train to wherever if the mood struck.

It is harder to be spontaneous with kids, but even families don't have to get weighed down in domestic lethargy!

Jun 12, 2006 1:13 PM

Jennifer W. Miner :

To add on to what Kelby wrote, I kow plenty of couples without young kids, who are committed to each other AND frequent pick-up-and-go hiking experiences. Being married doesn't have to equal getting fat in front of the TV!
Jen Miner

Jun 12, 2006 2:32 PM

Jill Florio :

Dan and I are about as un-domestic as it comes. For one, I am the one who goes backpacking while he plays video games and messes about on the computer. For another, while we both do laundry and clean the house, neither of us cook. We don't have kids. And we will do anything to avoid cooking - I eat stuff that I stick in tortillas (if you can't put it in a tortilla, I don't bother)...and he prefers cereal for dinner. And we each eat at our own computers or in front of a movie we stick in the DVD.

Anyway, it seems there is less of an issue with couple time vs freedom in the wilderness than one might expect - at least here in the Outdoors and Adventure section! :)

Jun 15, 2006 3:33 PM

James E. Ratzloff :

thanks all, for your comments. After writing the article I called the plummer and had my drains taken care of before I took off. (maybe I was feeling a little too irresponsible).

It was a great backpack trip though - beautiful, no worries;

Jun 19, 2006 6:16 PM

Kelby Carr :

Backpacking (and travel in general) should be a time of no worries! Otherwise, why bother getting away from it all! Hheheh...

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