The Simple Life

By Mary Frances Giles, guest blogger

Ah, the great outdoors. Fresh air. Open spaces. A time to simplify and get back to basics.

I am not a camper. I never have been, and I have no desire to become one. I don't understand why people spend hundreds and thousands of dollars on gear in order to sleep outside and make the whole experience seem "just like home". Why not just stay home? You are already paying rent there, plus there are no bugs. However, because of my undying love and devotion to the Lincolns, I agreed to grant them their one last "dying wish" before their permanent departure from Boston: to accompany them (plus Tracy and Nate) on a weekend in the woods.

Upon my arrival at the Lincolns' house on Friday afternoon, Tracy was already staring into the back of her Explorer, wondering how in the world we were going to fit everyone's stuff into the car. She even came with ropes (and let's be honest, a bit of hopeful excitement!) should we need to strap anything to the top of the car. I mean, we were only going to be gone for 48 hours – did we really need all of that gear? To demonstrate my point I had Tracy snap this picture of me with all of my stuff:

I promise that this is more stuff than I have ever packed for any other trip in my life. Ever. And did I mention that we were only going away for 48 hours??? Here is another shot of me in the car, as the rest of the team worked to fit everything in, like trying to solve one of those puzzles that only the engineers at MIT can figure out.

So, about half an hour and many packing iterations later, we were off to begin our adventure in the great outdoors. I'll give you a brief version of my thoughts and observations from my weekend as a wilderness woman:

Sleeping: I don't care what Mardi Fuller or the guys at REI say, Thermarest pads are NOT sufficient padding for sleeping on the ground. Who are we kidding, people? I didn't sleep a wink the entire weekend!

Fire: Thank goodness for matches. As we learned first hand, starting a fire with only a flint is near impossible. Big props to Ryan for finally beating the odds after many, many, many tries. I have a new appreciation for the cavemen and their ability to survive without waterproof matches.

Food: It really is amazing how good a marshmallow or a hot dog tastes when cooked over an open flame. Ahhhh, fond memories of childhood! I could, however, go the rest of my life without eating corn beef hash again (sorry Ed Hawkins!).

Hiking: Don't trust Nate Pelsma to pick a hiking trail for you. Ever. But if you do, be sure to check out the definition of "trail". In my dictionary is does NOT mean "large boulders stacked on top of each other, requiring full use of both arms and legs to ascend to summit". But apparently they define things a little differently up there in New Hampshire. Here's a shot of me and the "trail"(notice that I'm not wearing clothing that "wicks". This is apparently scandalous in the world of hiking…):

Neighbors: Growing up in east Tennessee, I've seen my fair share of insects and guys on motorcycles. But New Hampshire sure does give Tennessee a run for its money.

Friends: A couple of days spent in the beauty of God's creation with friends that you love (without the distraction of cell phones, email, or the grind of daily life) is pretty fabulous. While I'm not in any hurry to spend another night on a Thermarest pad, I had a great time and am so grateful for our weekend together and the memories that we made. Maybe the great outdoors isn't so bad after all…