The Irresistible Call of the Wild :

“The mountains are calling and I must go” – John Muir

Last week I was in the wild and back on the trail with my 17-year-old son. We were making memories as we hiked through a portion of the Rocky Mountain National Park for the second time. Backpacking in the backcountry develops great things within you if you have the right perspective. As we hiked last week, I jotted down a few things that came to mind about the challenge of backpacking in the wild. While these are thoughts that are directly related to backpacking, it’s easy to see many pertain to life in general. So, if you hike/backpack or you are thinking of hiking/backpacking, you may appreciate some of these thoughts. Maybe you will be inspired and hear the call of the wild in your soul and realize you too must go! Enjoy the read!

Contents hide

1 You Must Work For the Wild’s Best

2 No Easy Hikes Here

3 Divide the Goal Into Small Victories

4 Focusing on the Reward of the Wild

5 It is Worth It – God’s Creation Never Disappoints

6 Time in the Wild Brings an Appreciation

7 The Yearning for the Wild

You Must Work For the Wild’s Best

The mountains never give you their best for free. If you want to see the best, it requires you to work for it. I have found that the mountains, especially at higher elevations, can be a rugged place to venture. But if you are willing to push miles deep into the mountains, you will see some incredible things. The deeper and higher you go, the fewer people and the more natural things will be. The animals and the views are just different when you push yourself to go those extra miles.

The best that God’s creation has to offer is open only to those that work for it. Typically, it is not free and easy. This makes it even more rewarding when you get there. I believe God blesses those that push through and do the work to enjoy His handiwork. In a lot of ways, life is like this. To enjoy the best things in life requires a level of sacrifice. Push for the best!

No Easy Hikes Here

There are no easy hikes when the elevation is over 8,000 feet, you are carrying a backpack weighing 30-50 pounds, and you are hiking uphill for over 3 miles. When you do not live at these elevations, it can take a toll on your body, even when you are in good shape. My son and I worked out for months, and I can say I am now in the best shape of my life. But when you put 50 pounds on your back and start hiking at higher elevations, you feel it after a few miles.

Fortunately, we’ve experienced this before, so we knew it was coming and were mentally prepared. But as with any challenging thing you do, the mental challenge is always the most significant. You need to know it will be hard and lean into it as part of the experience. Hiking in these conditions can be tough.

The physical struggle is met by first being in good condition, but then it is a mental game that you need to be prepared to work through. This really comes into play with the false summits. On almost every trail, you will look ahead, and it will look like you are coming to the top of a mountain long before you actually do. You come over the top to realize you still have a ways to go before you achieve your goal. Sometimes if you study maps, set up a GPS with coordinates, you can avoid this mental game. Either way, for me, I will not allow myself to go there until I see the landmark or am standing on the summit. Until then, there is work to do and things to enjoy along the way.

Divide the Goal Into Small Victories

Every step toward your goal is a small victory. The small victories eventually add up to achieving the larger goal. Every step is one step closer to winning and conquering the mountain. Divide and conquer. This is the approach. Think in steps and dealing with what is right in front of you. Get to the next landmark or trail marker or intersection of trails. Break it up and push through. Eventually, the small victories add up to win the day. This is an excellent approach on the trail and also in life. The small day to day victories eventually leads to achieving the overall goal you are striving for. So, just keep moving ahead.

Focusing on the Reward of the Wild

You have probably realized something about life. Situations always seem worse when you are tired, hungry, and struggling. In backpacking, it is the same. In all cases, it is important to not succumb to your emotions during these times. Instead, push through with your mind on the time ahead when you will rest, eat, and recover. When that time comes, your perspective will change for the better. Also, think about the excitement you had at the beginning of the hike. If you felt it was worth it then, chances are it is still worth it. Push on and do the work! The reward is coming!

It is Worth It – God’s Creation Never Disappoints

If you hike challenging hikes, you will question, “Is it worth it?” It always is. God’s creation always delivers. The things I have seen with my own eyes and the experiences I have had in the wild are stored deep inside my soul. It is through these that I see God and His handiwork. I see His character in the majestic Rocky Mountains, the mighty thunder and lightening of the mountain storms, the beautiful colors and various design of the wildflowers, the playful personality of the marmot, and the fuzzy ball of nerves called a chipmunk.

This year as we were standing looking at the magnificent Rocky Mountains, my son and I were talking about this. He said, “I think in creating the mountains, God shows us how big and majestic He is. Because when you are in the midst of these mountains, you feel so small.” He is right. The mountains do this. The storms also do this. When you realize these things are the created things, you start to think about how majestic and powerful the Creator of such things must be. They all give glimpses of the God and Creator I worship with my life. Experiencing these things never disappoints. They always deliver. And so with this in mind, I dig deep and push through because I know it is always worth it!

Time in the Wild Brings an Appreciation

Another thought that comes to mind and again was initiated by my son is that when backpacking deep in the back-country, you realize how easy life is today. Backpacking requires a level of work for everything. Many of the easy things in life are not so easy when you are backpacking. Food, water, shelter, bathroom, staying warm, cooling off, etc. You live without conveniences that you often take for granted. When backpacking, you gain a fresh perspective and appreciation for life.

When your days in the wild end and you come back to civilization, you have a tendency to appreciate some of the easy things. I think at the same time it makes you realize how much time our ancestors spent just living. A good portion of their days was spent just doing the things necessary to sustain life. This appreciation for the little things in life and for our history is a side benefit of getting out in the wild and living off the grid. These are great lessons that have a tendency to bring us back to a grateful mindset.

The Yearning for the Wild

“The mountains are calling and I must go” – John Muir

My final thoughts from my time in the wild are these. God has put something in me that yearns to be in the wild. My soul comes alive when I am in the backcountry and especially in the mountains. I have this sense that I am where I was made to be. The masculine nature within me rises up, and I feel like I am in my element. In these times, I find myself more in touch with what it means to be a man. I revel in being a part of the wild. My heart is filled. My soul is soothed by the feeling of standing amid nature’s finest. The rawness and rough challenge of it all unleash something I do not experience in any other area of my life.

Though I have just returned, I cannot wait to get back in the wild. Like the quote from John Muir, I feel the call of the mountains, and I am compelled to go! I must go! I hope you feel the same. And I hope you will take action and go!

I appreciate your visit to Men of Grit!

In your corner,