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Do You Have The Frustrated Heart Of A Thru Hiker?

How many of us have the heart of a thru hiker, but reality (finances and responsibilities) force us to hike vicariously through others? And… the nearest National Scenic Trail is 600 miles away.

Truth is, we don’t have to hike 2,000 miles with $4,000 of ultralight gear to enjoy backpacking. Backpacking twenty miles on a weekend is a great opportunity! We just have five zero days to plan our next hike!

This is the story of my last hike.

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Kindness – Do Something Great That Costs You Nothing

Jelly Beans

Our church recently held a major Easter outreach. My self-appointed job was taking a large bag of candy and greeting people as they made their way across the parking lot.

As a family with two young girls decked out in their finest Easter dresses approached me, I knelt down to talk with the girls about the event. I told them my job was pre-candy. I was giving everyone a piece of candy to hold them over until they entered the event. A fun job to have!

They thanked me and as they walked away I heard one of the girls say, “Daddy, why was he so nice?” (Nailed it!)

Her words made me smile, but also convicted me. Why don’t we take more opportunities to be nice?

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Learn How To Hike Your Own Hike

Two Guys Hiking

It’s amazing how the information overload age drives our thoughts, actions and habits. Our entire lifestyle can be altered with the right “expert” posting a new YouTube video…

If you are familiar with me, you know I love backpacking. Venturing into the online hiking community will bewilder you with the debate over what is and what isn’t a true backpacker!

For instance, if your base weight is not under 10lbs (ultralight), you are not a real backpacker!  It’s easy to buy into the “ultralight” mentality as you try to get your base weight down. To get to that base weight will cost you about $2,000. Honestly, if we can’t carry 25 pounds, we should find a new hobby!

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