The Blind Man Society

Somebody asked me today, after reading the Writing and Websites blog, to explain the finer points of taking off on a backpacking adventure.  And, it sounded like a great idea to me.  I’m trying not to cover all this too specifically, because its great to sprinkle this in slowly through stories on the site, and really its different for everyone.

I often wonder why books only contain a handful of truths, and are often left highly interpretive.  It is really satisfying to know the ending and how it all works out since many works have very great endings.  But, every now and again… its nice to just leave it as the characters walk off into the sunset…the door open to have many more things happen.

So, bearing this in mind, I will do what I do best – write the beginnings in a highly interpretive fashion.

You will need a great backpack, and a great pair of boots.  You will need to buy a guidebook like lets go or lonely planet that lists all the hotels, motels, hostels, rooms, food, travel methods, etc. from the local bookstore.  And since these books are GOLD, you will need to carry them with you, since there is NO WAY you will remember all the great stuff inside.

Once you have your backpack, pack what you think you need a couple times to get the weight down and the pack streamlined. Some people worry about the toys and the clothes that come with this – some places you do need them, some places you do not. That is entirely up to the backpacker.

You will probably need to practice hiking too.  Getting in shape before is a good idea so that you can walk a LOT during the trip. People, like myself in the beginning sat at the bar and talked the “Seven summits of glory”, and Everest, and all KINDS of very impressive woman getting story-worthy adventures. But, like weightlifting, you need to stay within your limits and work up slowly.

You will need to photocopy all your ids and cards, and keep these with your family, friends, etc. so that if you lose them on the road, you have copies to go off of when it comes time to get new ones. Medical insurance is clutch, and some people carry small first aid kits with them in their bags.

And really, like Yoda with Luke…no more training do you require.  The above is all the building blocks you need to take off and freestyle the heck out of your own personal adventure on the road, whether nationally or internationally.

Some people think you have to jet around the world to far flung places to have one heck of an adventure.  I say this, because that was me in the beginning of my travels. The truth is, and as I’ve written about before, you need the basic transferable backpacking and outdoors skills.  These, can be gotten by practicing locally.  And, once you have them, they are transferable to countries around the world. 

I always recommend to start small, have your adventure, score some phone numbers on it, and learn as much as you can every foray out. Do what is comfortable, listen to your body, and keep pushing yourself.  Eventually your range will increase, your confidence too, and you will be ready to tackle larger and farther places.. and more complex situations as well.

In literature, there are three main ideas:  man against man, man against nature, and man against himself.  The truth is, that man against himself is the hardest of the three.  It is as hard as you decide to make it for yourself, or as rewarding. Backpacking builds confidence, strength and self-reliance.  If you can do it, you can be ok just about anywhere – especially if disaster strikes.

So, I will leave it here.  Like all things, backpacking is an art form. To master it, leads to ALL kinds of opportunities and satisfaction. He was a farm boy, she was an Italian supermodel…he knew he had only ONE CHANCE to impress her. Enough said. Also, interviews tend to be very fun instead of stressful when you can play some self-reliance and adventure cards during them in addition to academic accomplishment.

I hope everyone has a fantastic Saturday and Sunday, and please feel free to leave your comments in the box below!