Some time to ourselves in Bears Ears

For reasons not germane to this website, I had to fly back East for a quick visit.

The purpose of my visit did not allow too much recreation time, but I did manage to get in a quick hike at a place not far away from where I stayed.

 

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Not a vacation, but I did at least sneak in a quick hike at a park only ten minutes from my brother. Back to Moab! …. #hiking #southcarolina #croftstatepark #upstatesc

A post shared by Paul Mags (@pmagsco) on Sep 12, 2020 at 3:46am PDT

Based on what I saw, I question people who say that flying for recreation reasons is perfectly fine. But I have some opinions on that subject. Of course. 😉

In any case, the past three+ weeks saw us busy. I’ve not been my usual self and missed the simple pleasures of the backcountry.  And time spent with Joan.

And when we wait too long in between trips, I get noticeably grumpy, on edge. And not my best self.  The outdoors is just not something we do for fun; it is something we need in our shared life.

I needed to go out, sleep under the stars, hike a bit, and drink some beer. And some time for ourselves free of phone calls, text messages, or the latest political shenanigans that get me ranting.

We did not want to go that far, and we wanted a simple trip logistically.  Our car camping/hiking combo locally would serve well. With the bonus that the truck cap (topper or camper shell for you non-East Coasters) finally came in after a long COVID-caused delay—another reason to enjoy the low-key pleasures of a camping trip.

So we went adjacent to the actual Bears Ears that caused so much strife in recent years.

And we hiked….

Explored canyons…

Enjoyed the start of fall…

Spent two nights outside…

And cheffed it up a bit…

PCO Joan.

And I may have consumed a beer, or two, or three…

These weekend trips aren’t just something we enjoy but a vital part of a healthy relationship for Joan and me.

We need to get out, hike, unplug, and enjoy each other’s company.

We camped last week. And plan to backpack this weekend.

And let the chaos of the rest world go away, at least for a few days.