This is the time of year when the throngs of city people start thinking about their first foray into the Colorado backcountry. After all, it has been a relatively mild winter, so they won’t have to worry about snow blocking the trails and passes. In fact, they will likely plan their trek for the Memorial Day weekend.
But, first things first. They will want to head to Cabela’s or Dick’s Sporting Goods to acquire the equipment they envision or are told is essential for comfort and survival.
Several thousand dollars later they will load up their SUV or truck with a 25-pound,
four-person dome tent that you can actually stand up in, a giant tarp to protect the floor of the tent, 4-inch thick foam pads to go under their expensive but cheaply made ‘down’ sleeping bags, ‘lightweight’ backpacking camp chairs, gas stoves, pots and pans, enough high-tech flashlight power to light up an entire campsite, and on and on. Sound familiar? These are, of course, some other fools you and I have observed that are in over their heads. Well, maybe not entirely.
Let’s be honest. There is a part of all of us that has a hard time not thinking in terms of being comfortable in the backcountry… maybe even as comfortable as being at home.
Call me anything you want, but I believe that if your overriding concern about trekking in the backcountry is comfort, then maybe you really don’t belong there. The backcountry areas of our mountains, where all forms of motorized vehicles are prohibited, are restricted that way for a reason. They are fragile environments. The effort to recreate the comforts of home in such a delicate place is not only destructive in and of itself, but leads to an attitude of abuse for the sake of comfort. Maybe camping where you can park your truck would be a better choice.
It is said that John Muir would put a loaf of bread in his coat pocket and take off into the High Sierra, sleeping under the stars and covering some 30 miles a day.
I have followed John Muir’s example and discovered a whole new way of life in the wilderness. I call it, “Live as the mountains want you to live”—my version of “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” I have found tremendous freedom by letting go of the idea of conquering the wilderness.
When you don’t have to set up camp, your day can just follow your wanderlust. So what if it gets dark? All you are looking for is a flat place to lie down. It is amazing how many comfy spots you can find when that is all you desire. When dinner is simply dried food from a bag, you can eat by a lake, a babbling brook, or enjoy the last rays of sunlight while tucked behind a rock on a windy ridge. There is no such thing as being caught out after dark looking for camp. Camp is wherever you are.
Take nothing but pictures. Leave nothing but footprints. Kill nothing but time.
—John Muir