It’s been a minute since my last post. I originally was going to have my first several posts be tied to the Live Your Legend blog challenge, but I’ll save those topics for times when I don’t have something to share. Instead, today I’d like to write about my spontaneous camping and hiking trip out west to the Shenandoah National Park and some of the insights I gained from the experience.
I’m back home after a pretty crazy 24 hours…
Yesterday morning I woke up and felt the urge to go outside and explore nature. I’ve had a lot on my mind lately in regards to things like my career and future, both short and long-term, and it seemed that getting away into nature would be a great way to reground myself. It’s starting to get pretty chilly in Richmond, but the sky was clear and I knew there would only be a few decent weeks left to be in the outdoors so I began to see assess my options. My Googling eventually came across information on the Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive, areas about two hours west from me and well-known for their scenic mountain views. After looking at some images of these places I said to myself, “it would sure be nice to go out there and spend some time away from it all – maybe some other weekend.” I naturally and habitually was able to know that I wasn’t actually going to act upon what I had a desire to do! There were of course countless rationalizations I could have provided on why it made no sense to travel on my own to the mountains and be in nature, but the fact that those didn’t even need to come up is telling. Has it become such a habit for me to yearn to do something and not follow through that I didn’t even make a big deal about this instance? If not now, when!? Was this feeling to be in nature and reground myself not really important?
Anyway, after deciding what was definitely NOT going to happen on my weekend, I started to go about my day until I quickly received a call. It was my friend, Caleb. He was on his way to go camping and needed to stop in Richmond for gas and figured we could grab a drink and catch up while he was in the city. I agreed and we ended up meeting at a pub down the street from my apartment. We enjoyed catching up on things while downing a couple beers and started to talk about topics such as careers, relationships, and personal development. I learned that Caleb also had a lot going on in his mind and was heading out west past Charlottesville to camp out in the mountains and unplug from society for a moment. I also learned that he was going to the Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive area – the very same spots I was thinking about just a couple hours earlier – and he asked if I wanted to join.
I couldn’t believe the chances. What kind of sign was this that an opportunity like this would present itself? My mind’s defenses began to kick in with every reason why not to go:
- I need to get my shit together with work and my future
- The Virginia Tech game is on at 3:30
- I need to rest up and prepare for next week
- I can be productive by writing on my blog, reading, and doing personal development by staying home
- I can’t go now – I’m not prepared. It’s going to be cold, dark, and uncomfortable
I was really on the fence about this, but I just couldn’t say no outright. My mind was quick to point out why I shouldn’t go, but something else in me just wouldn’t give up. Whatever this part was – my heart, intuition, whatever – it couldn’t get over the coincidence and fortune that presented itself to me and that I needed to go – so I said yes.
To conclude the trip itself, it ended up being fun, insightful, physically demanding, uncomfortable, exhausting, exhilarating, peaceful, reflective, and more. Some of the events that occurred include:
- Getting to the mountain as the sun was setting and needing to find and set up a camp before dark. We had no time to be picky with our site and ended up setting a tent on a cliff off the path
- Creating a pretty epic fireplace
- Deep reflecting in solitude in the woods
- Me suffering in the tent through the night in below-freezing temperatures. (Lesson learned: sleeping outside next to a fire is better than sleeping in a tent built on top of a cold slab of stone, also get a sleeping bag).
- Hiking up a summit and seeing amazing views of Virginia’s mountains
With that being said, here are some insights and lessons I gained from this experience that I’d like to keep moving forward:
Going with my intuition and heeding the call to adventure
Lately I’ve been researching the power of following one’s intuition and this experience was definitely an example of me following my own. This experience also ties well to the concept of the Hero’s Journey and how the hero must decide whether or not to heed the call to adventure (hint: the hero should heed the call).
The feeling and knowledge of following my intuition trumps any form of logic that would try to dissuade me from listening to it. Even when it was cold, dark, and uncomfortable, I still had the awareness to tell myself that this was a great thing to live through. What’s funny is that all of the so-called “bad” things that I told myself would happen DID happen. It was tiring, I didn’t get to be at home potentially working on productive things, and the temperature was so cold I couldn’t feel half my body. In fact, it was hands down one of the most uncomfortable sleeping experiences I’ve had in a long time AND THAT WAS COMPLETELY FINE! Following my intuition meant that even an extremely negative thing were to happen I would still be confident that I made the right decision for myself.
The Power of Isolation and Solitude
In The Way of the Superior Man, David Deida writes in depth of the importance for a man to restore his purpose by being in solitude, challenging situations, and/or in the company of other men. A man who is able to eliminate distractions and live at his edge is a man who can experience masculine growth and realignment.
I can attest to what Deida writes based on my time in the wilderness. The challenges of trying to survive the cold and endure a hike up to a summit allowed me to push towards my edge. The awe of seeing landscapes that have existed well before me and will continue to exist long after I’m gone put a lot of things into perspective. The small, petty things that tend to occupy my mind really have no value, and it is necessary to remember the big picture in terms of purpose and the wonder of existence.
To wrap up, what I hope to gain from this is a solid reference experience on what can happen when I choose to follow my intuition. Regardless of the particular event, decision, or adventure, I want to habitualize trusting my self and not being afraid to go against logic or reason. I can imagine that cultivating this behavior and mindset over time could lead to incredible opportunities down the road as I feel my heart pulling me towards a certain path. This doesn’t mean I’ll become a Yes Man or that I’ll blindly agree to anything. It means that when a situation or opportunity arises I’ll pay more attention to my heart and not let my head assume authority, because no matter if good or bad things occur on the journey, the reward comes from being able to confidently know that the path I’m choosing is authentically mine.
