Post boating simplicity: not much beats backpacking
A week or two ago, two good friends of ours, Jim and Sherry, made a big announcement: they had purchased one-way tickets to Singapore, and later this season would be commencing a backpacking trip around Southeast Asia. We first met these crazy kids when they were cruising on their own boat. For the last couple of years, however, they’ve been running crewed charters on a big cat in the Virgins, much like we did, and by all accounts, have been doing a fantastic job. Even though their thoughts on boating don’t likely mirror ours, it’s interesting to see what they’ve chosen for their “vacation.”
On a similar track are our friends Steve and Chrissy. They are presently on a multi-month trip across Europe (yesterday they visited Big Ben in London), and as Chrissy shared with me, are having a wonderful time. They too left behind a boating background, as well as a charter one. For several seasons they chartered their boat Knot Anchored, a Leopard 4600 almost identical vessel to the one that we were on, and developed an extremely loyal following. They’ve since sold the boat though, and have moved on to other non-water-based adventures.
Searching for simplicity
Not too long ago, Rebecca and I came across a movie called The Way. The film, starring Martin Sheen, follows a group of four walking the Camino de Santiago, a religious pilgrimage route to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galacia, Spain. Even though neither of us are in any way religious, the movie was appealing enough that we watched it twice, and both thought that one day we’d like to follow that path.
Everyone knows how much Rebecca and I are into hiking. The allure of a nearby mountain top is oftentimes greater than that of a pristine beach, and we both feel as at home in a tent as we do in a 5-star hotel. I also have to admit that, coming from the complexities of boat life, the simplicity of traveling with nothing but a backpack, a la Christopher McCandless in the book (and film) Into The Wild, and now our friends that I mentioned above, is appealing (let’s leave behind the tragic ending to the McCandless story).
While none of these things are exactly what we have planned, I will admit that it is closer to reality than what I described yesterday. If this post, and the one preceding it, prove anything, there most definitely is life after cruising, so anyone concerned about that can put their mind at ease. And yes, I’m almost ready to share what our plans are. Almost. 🙂
I’m on the edge of my seat, waiting to hear what is next. Excited for your new chapter!
Thanks for playing along, Jenny. I won’t keep you waiting much longer.
Can’t wait to hear about your next adventure, or adventures…….Best of luck to you both. Life is to short to live how others want or think you should, do what makes you happy. You are not promised a tomorrow, but you do have today! Safe travels wherever life takes you.
Thank you, Nicole. You are very right.
Excited to be hear about the new adventure. If you’re taking guesses, I’m going to guess some sort of Thru-Hike, perhaps in South America (Patagonias?), or perhaps an AT hike or Rocky Mountain hike. Just my guess after seeing the posts about the Into the Wild earlier and now this one, and of course all the hiking posts. (of course if I’m way off, or way on, feel free to keep this comment hidden 🙂
You’re not right, but you’re warm. 🙂
Mike – Would not be surprised if it is backpacking. Having done many backpacking vacations before sailing became a higher priority due to boat ownership, I can say there are many similarities in the type of enjoyment and experience of cruising, Both have many different moments of adventure, excitement, awe, peacefulness and some scattered socialization with new people spread in between.
Wish you best of luck and hopefully you are not dragging a device along the trail to blog about it.
Thanks, Skip. I wonder if the rest of our readers would agree with your last sentence. 😉
Had to check my own selfishness on that one…been a bad year..Vigor and now Zero to Cruising….Best!
🙂
Looking forward to following the adventure.
Thank you, Sir!
Love this post (POST BOATING SIMPLICITY: NOT MUCH BEATS BACKPACKING) for so many compatible reasons: I lived and sailed on a sailboat for 10 years, and 1.5 years ago I hiked 500 miles of the Camino de Santiago also after seeing The Way. (and I used to live along one of the routes in France). I plan to do another section in about a year or so, and last summer I hiked California’s Lost Coast. Go for it! Thank you for the memories.
Janis Couvreux
Author “Sail Cowabunga! A Family’s Ten Years at Sea” Aug. 2017 release by Filles Vertes Publishing,
@JanisCouvreux
http://www.janiscouvreux.com