The grass is ALWAYS greener on the other side of the fence

When Jean and I did a hike last week to Snowgrass Flats, we also walked on the Pacific Crest Trail for a short while, and met some thru-hikers. These are backpackers that are walking from the Mexican to the Canadian border. It's a huge accomplishment to most people, and on a lot of bucket lists.

Thru-hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail

Anyway, I was talking to one of them, and said something self-deprecating like, "We do shorter hiking trips to see the most beautiful areas, nothing like the Pacific Crest Trail, which is such a massive accomplishment". In reply the hiker (I never got his name) went on and on about how he'd love to be doing shorter hikes, or even car camping, where he could bring everything he wanted to, and not need to pay so much attention to how much everything weighed!

I guess by this point he'd been on the trail for about 4 months, and was ready for a change. It was just interesting to meet someone who was doing something that so many people would regard as a major life accomplishment, yet who was tired of it, and would rather be doing something else.

It reminds me of a quote from Jim Carey:

I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it's not the answer.

The point being that it's ALL about the journey. Actually getting to the "destination" will not make you happy. So don't plan your life that way!

FYI - I've blogged about the grass being greener on the other side of the fence before:
http://sylviavasilik.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-grass-is-greener-on-other-side-more.html

My ultralight backpacking freezer bag cooking innovation

For years now, on backpacking trips, I used "freezer bag" cooking as a way to simplify mealtime. It means you package your meal in a ziplock quart size bag at home, pour boiling water in the bag at your campsite, and let it sit for 5 minutes or so while it rehydrates/cooks. 

This approach works great, but you do need something to hold your dinner bag with, both so you don't burn your hands and also to insulate it. Previously, I used a knit hat. It seemed like a good multi-purpose device - I could use it for warmth as well as for insulating my dinner bag.

However, there was a problem with using it to insulate my dinner bag. A knit hat has no structure at all, and flops all over the place. I almost never got through dinner without getting some of my dinner on my knit hat. And once I had spilled food on it, I really didn't want to use it as a knit hat until I was able to wash it.

So I was looking for an alternative, and thought about taping together some bubble wrap. The bubble wrap area at my local Walmart was right next to the bubble wrap mailer envelopes, though, and they looked like they might be the right size.

After some trimming at home, it turns out a 6 by 9.25 inch plastic bubble mailer is a great for a quart size ziplock. I've used it on multiple trips now, and it works really well, providing support for eating my dinner (with my long-handled spoon) and not burning my hands.