I read a quote recently that said, “We do not travel to escape life, but we travel so life does not escape us.” Lately, I’ve had this desire to really get out there and start spending more time outdoors and exploring some of my surroundings. It’s so easy sometimes to get stuck in the same routine of going to work, coming home, chilling out, and forgetting about what’s out there. As someone who has always enjoyed nature, the wildlife, and seeing new places, I don’t spend enough time hiking, fishing, biking, etc. I find that it’s very easy to get stuck in a bubble and begin to stumble into this weird routine of going to the same places every weekend, eating the same thing, drinking the same thing, and just floating through life. The goal is to be more of an adventurer. See the world through the lens of my own eyes and not through the eyes of someone on the internet. I need to smell the bursting buds, feel the crunching of the rocks under my feet, be fascinated by the little things and taste the salty sweat as it drips from my brow.
I’ve made up my mind that during my time off during the weekends, I want to take advantage as much as possible of some of the areas around San Diego that I have yet to explore. As great as it sounds to sleep in on the weekends, I want to continue getting up fairly early, and venture out east a little ways to do some hiking. I think I will start slow, going on perhaps a 7-10 mile hike that’s nothing too strenuous but enough to get the blood flowing, remove me from the vehicular traffic, the noise pollution, and the ordinary weekend.
I know that there is a life beyond the ordinary, and I’m determined to get out there and find it. I want to work up to bigger, longer hikes, and begin a march that could lead me toward something like the John Muir Trail, the Appalachian Trail, or El Camino Santiago that stretches along the northern part of Spain. But before I pretend like I’m some kind of hiking superhero that can strap on a monster pack, dive into the treeline at the end of the road, spark up a fire with a Ferro Rod to cook up the monster trout that I just pulled out of a raging river deep in the bowels of the wilderness with a fly rod, I must first wake up,rise up, take one step at a time, and begin my journey at the bottom.
Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.
–John Muir
