What Backpacking Has Taught me about Thankfulness

Things I’m thankful for: See #5 (Taken on the CDT in Idaho)

Backpacking has taught me what it means to be grateful. Somehow, in the process of not having access to anything but what is on my back, when I return from a trip, I can appreciate all the little facets that make “normal” living so wonderful. Some of these things seem silly to be thankful for, but if I weren’t a backpacker, I might’ve taken these for granted. Here are a few simple things that I am thankful for:

1)      Hot water: How amazing is it that it just comes out of a faucet without having to protect your water heater from the wind and rain?? I am enormously grateful every time I have hot water from my faucet or my kettle.

2)      Showers: infinite amounts of hot water to bathe in!?! No trying to light my stove in the wind required?? No nasty blue sponge required?! I am always thankful to have a clean body without having to “swim” in a frozen lake.

Taking a “bath” in Yellowstone on the CDT. Plus side is no one judges me for eating while bathing.

3) A roof: Could there be anything more joyous than watching it rain and snow—from the comfort and warmth of a covered area? I am grateful for a roof that I am fairly positive does not need to be patted multiple times during the night to prevent it from collapsing on my face.

4) Perishable, real food (and ice cream): After eating a lifetime’s worth of dried fruit and nuts and “food” with expiration dates set for when I’m eligible for Social Security, I am so thankful to eat any food that couldn’t survive a few hours away from a cooling source.

Something tells me this isn’t “real” food. Taken on the CDT in Colorado.

5) Getting from Point A to B in a car/bus/train/plane: Sure, I love walking, but when it comes to getting to work everyday or coming from a friend’s house in the dark, I really appreciate the speed, warmth, and imperviousness to the elements that not walking provides.

6)   Clean water: How amazing is it to never have to worry about whether a cow/dead buffalo/algae bloom has befouled my drinking water?

Nothing like drinking out of a cattle trough. (Taken on the Maah Dah Hey Trail)

7)      Living in a four-sided structure: I am equally grateful for the walls around my living quarters that prevent wind, the cold, and the endless buzz of mosquitoes from disturbing my slumber.

8)      A mattress: I actually enjoy sleeping on the floor, but there’s something incredibly luxurious about not having to worry about rolling of a sleeping mat or not getting a hole in a sleeping mat.

9)      TV and movies: How many times on trail would I have given all my food just to watch School of Rock one more time? I don’t watch TV or movies everyday, or even every week, but just knowing that I could if I wanted to is pleasure enough.

Just some of the people I’ve been lucky enough to call my hiking friends and family.

10)      Friends and family: I am thankful for both my trail family—all the people I have met on adventures—and to those back at home I miss the most when I’m far away and whose love and support make my adventures possible. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Has being outdoors made you grateful for something others may consider “common place”?