Traveling Light
Other Readings: Belden Lane/Backpacking With the Saints
October 20, 2015
Few other activities teach the value of traveling light like wilderness backpacking. As Pacific Crest Trail hiker, Monty Tam, says, “the fun goes up when the weight goes down. Backpackers are always seeking new ways and equipment to lower the weight they carry. Ultralight backpackers take this to an extreme. The discipline of traveling light was admired greatly by men like Henry David Thoreau, who shows us that the luxuries and comforts of life are not only unnecessary but also hindrances to wholeness. Living only with the bare essentials helps us become more appreciative of luxuries and comforts when they do come our way. As Lane says, “traveling light makes us realize how little we require to be happy…less is more.”(93) Traveling light is not only a relinquishment of goods but also of self. It requires a stout rejection of the ego’s incessant need to have build a resume of experiences. Hiking is not about checking off the next mountain on the list. In wilderness, our accomplishments and awards count for nothing.
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