Why?

[JohnClimber]

I'm sure this has been asked before, if it's been asked recently please delete this thread.

The wife asked me today why am I'm going out each and every month wild camping (no necessarily every time on a bike) and to be honest I couldn't answer it simply.

Yes the freedom, fun, the craic, being out of your comfort zone, being close to nature and sights like this (below) which I took this morning on the walk away from the bivi spot.



So, how do you answer the question "Why do you do it and not stop in a comfy bed?"

[Zippy]

Why do you climb the mountain? Coz it's there.

Why do you get up in the morning? Why bother with life at all - we're just gonna die in the end....

Oh, this could get oh so philosophical if we wanted it to.

[frogatthefarriers]

To escape from the things we have to do on the other 28/29/30/31 days of the month, maybe, but for me, it's MyTime.

[Trail-rat]

Nice to unplug from life.

[Ian]

Nice to unplug from life.

This

[rudedog]

Because you've got horrible wives?

[JohnClimber]

Nice to unplug from life.

I like that one

[Mariner]

Because I can.

[Taylor]

To not let Chew win.
I've lost track now, I think we're on track for 5 years now or is it only 4?

[Chew]

To not let Chew win.
I've lost track now, I think we're on track for 5 years now or is it only 4?

T'is 5

.....Oh and not to let Taylor win

[jameso]

To me it's less about unplugging from life and more about plugging in? Pedant maybe : ) but I think one is a more natural state than the other. Our brains haven't evolved as fast as society has and we live in an artificial world (something I read that makes so much sense to explain wanderlust etc). Fishing, hiking, bike-packing, all just a way of re-connecting a part of our mind with something we need.

[Bearbonesnorm]

To me it's less about unplugging from life and more about plugging in? Pedant maybe : ) but I think one is a more natural state than the other. Our brains haven't evolved as fast as society has and we live in an artificial world (something I read that makes so much sense to explain wanderlust etc). Fishing, hiking, bike-packing, all just a way of re-connecting a part of our mind with something we need.

This I get.

Experiencing the 'real' world is sadly, something many people never do these days. The less of a barrier you put between it and yourself, the nearer you get to it and the more rewarding the experience ... think tarp rather than tent, bird song as oppossed to mp3. Bikepacking helps strip away the everyday distractions we surround ourselves with and in my mind, helps balance out your perspective ... information stress is very real and something we haven't yet evolved to cope with.

[voodoo_simon]

To scratch that itch or to reset myself.

When my wifey does ask, I often cave in and think of my warm, comfortable bed and don't bother heading out!

[littlegirlbunny]

Definitely to 'unplug' literally and physically.

I have a relentless 'to do' list with work, organising mtb rides and all the other zillion things. Getting out with enough kit to know I could just ride far far away from it all keeps me sane.

[jameso]

information stress

Interesting term.. Is that why I can't stand being in shopping centres for more than about 10 mins?

[Bearbonesnorm]

Interesting term.. Is that why I can't stand being in shopping centres for more than about 10 mins?

Slightly long story ... I once coached a chap who was a nutritionalist and we got chatting about health, etc. In conversation, I mentioned that I don't have a TV, read papers or read the news on-line and that sometimes, I felt a little guilty for ignoring the outside world and its problems.

He replied by saying that I was doing the world a favour ... man evolves slowly and we adapt to stress over thousands rather than tens of years. He believed that our minds want to solve problems and find solutions to stressful events. Two thousand years ago, your biggest potential stress raiser would likely be the death of a member of your family / tribe / group but it was something you could actually deal with on a practical level. These days we're bombarded by death, hijack, torture, famine, etc and your mind wants you to do something practical about them but we can't - there's nothing I can do right now on a practical level that will make the situation better, which results in high levels of stress, stress which has no outlet. He reckoned a lot of people die shortly after watching the news.

So, that's kind of it in a nutshell.

[HaYWiRe]

I'm a little torn on why I do this, and it follows as such.

Most of the time I dont bike to camp, I camp to bike. I'm no ultraracer but there's something oddly nomadic about constantly moving, and sleeping a different place every night. That, and my local trail center is brilliantly quiet at 5:00am So camping is just a means to go further, hence why I'm not that picky about wether I camp, b&b, audax-hotel or crash on someone's sofa, its the travel that attracts me.

Living on the move with so little baggage (physically and mentally) like a nomad is a real breakaway from being tied down to a building, job, alarms and timetables, commitments and such. Though minimalism at home is helping with this.

The other half of me though, finds myself drawn in by simply waking up to a sight perhaps not many people have woken upto. Sadly its mostly bog, rain and soggy woodland. But being atop a mountain and seeing for miles around as you fall asleep....i feel blessed and lucky to be there. Nothing like it.



Oh...and thirdly, social anxiety.
Take away the people and potentially awkward social situations = no anxiety, nuff' said

[psling]

I always find a sense of irony when I read threads like this. Whether it's hillwalking, mountaineering, bikepacking, or whatever, one of the oft-given reasons for getting out there into the great outdoors is to leave stress and anxiety behind.
Now, it's this whole leaving stress and anxiety behind thing that gives me the ironic smile. Why? Well, I come on to forums like bearbones and read threads filled by people stressing over the latest lightweight kit, the best value kit, the best bike, the most suitable jacket, the lightest sleep mat, down or fibre, quilt or bag, maybe half bag, tarp or tent
Ah, tarp or tent - the real biggy! The tarp because that'll put me in touch with nature, be more 'real' - and then the threads start... How can I pitch my tarp? Do I need a bath tub floor? Do I need an inner? Do I need a door? Does it need to cover my bivi bag? Do I need a bigger tarp? What about weight - do I need cuben? Really... how can I make it more like a tent!?!
By the time we've stressed so much about kit no wonder we need to get out there to de-stress! But - where to, where's the best wild-camping spot, is there a list of bivi spots, do I need GPS, has anyone got a good route, how should I pack my bags - indeed, what bags do I need - should I put my sleeping bag up front or out back, what about a backpack, oh, and how do I carry water or do I take a filter, I don't know, what does everyone else do, what's best, what do I have to do to be a real bikepacker... the anxiety and stress is endless. Arrrgggghhhh!
Sorry, I need to get out into the wilderness after that, somewhere with no 'phone signal and no internet connection will do

[Yorlin]

Psling please!

Next you'll be saying we don't need to spend the price of a 2nd hand car on a bike and "luggage" - and handlebars don't need a hole in the middle! At least let us continue to not have fun...

[jameso]

So, that's kind of it in a nutshell.

Makes sense. Same attitude to papers etc here.

being atop a mountain and seeing for miles around as you fall asleep....i feel blessed and lucky to be there. Nothing like it.

In one.. The best penthouse suite you can get.

threads filled by people stressing over the latest lightweight kit, the best value kit, the best bike, the most suitable jacket, the lightest sleep mat, down or fibre, quilt or bag, maybe half bag, tarp or tent

Anxiety / stressing about it, or just advice and chat? Careful spending maybe?

[rudedog]

I always find a sense of irony when I read threads like this. Whether it's hillwalking, mountaineering, bikepacking, or whatever, one of the oft-given reasons for getting out there into the great outdoors is to leave stress and anxiety behind.
Now, it's this whole leaving stress and anxiety behind thing that gives me the ironic smile. Why? Well, I come on to forums like bearbones and read threads filled by people stressing over the latest lightweight kit, the best value kit, the best bike, the most suitable jacket, the lightest sleep mat, down or fibre, quilt or bag, maybe half bag, tarp or tent
Ah, tarp or tent - the real biggy! The tarp because that'll put me in touch with nature, be more 'real' - and then the threads start... How can I pitch my tarp? Do I need a bath tub floor? Do I need an inner? Do I need a door? Does it need to cover my bivi bag? Do I need a bigger tarp? What about weight - do I need cuben? Really... how can I make it more like a tent!?!
By the time we've stressed so much about kit no wonder we need to get out there to de-stress! But - where to, where's the best wild-camping spot, is there a list of bivi spots, do I need GPS, has anyone got a good route, how should I pack my bags - indeed, what bags do I need - should I put my sleeping bag up front or out back, what about a backpack, oh, and how do I carry water or do I take a filter, I don't know, what does everyone else do, what's best, what do I have to do to be a real bikepacker... the anxiety and stress is endless. Arrrgggghhhh!
Sorry, I need to get out into the wilderness after that, somewhere with no 'phone signal and no internet connection will do

Thats a fair old bit of generalisation there!

[Trail-rat]

I mentioned that I don't have a TV, read papers or read the news on-line and that sometimes, I felt a little guilty for ignoring the outside world and its problems.

See i say the same. My wife whos a teacher says its wrong and i will develop a blinkered view of the world. She stresses over the fact that her kids have not heard about a massive hurricane , earthquake or other worldly event i cannot have any bearing on. I argue why should the kids know about it , unless the kids are infact thunderbirds.

Imo if its important then someone will mention it . IE i still remember where i was when the twin towers went down and my mate phoning me to tell me to get to a tv.

Likewise mh370 and other major events.

I develop my view of the world by travel and experiances ,if i watched the news i wouldnt go half the places ive been - not always the right place at the right time as i mentioned in other threads but the one thing i still do is rarely read the news.

[RIP]

"rarely read the news", don't worry we'll let you know when that asteroid gets past the moon, in good time for you to get one last ride in....

[psling]

Thats a fair old bit of generalisation there!

LOL, yes.

A lot of the fun is researching and investigating kit, experimenting with different things and probably never reaching the utopia of a perfect set-up as new products and ideas are developed. Sometimes getting it wrong can cause anxieties out on the hill but those moments when everything is just-so, that unexpected view, that sighting of rare fauna, that period when the trail just flows - they all make it worthwhile. We all choose our own level of comfort while we try to get close to nature and leave the demands of modern living behind.

[Bearbonesnorm]

My wife whos a teacher says its wrong and i will develop a blinkered view of the world.

Can't help but think reading the papers or watching the news will do more to skew your take on the world ... these mediums aren't exactly known for their unbiased opinions.