My dad’s life is outlined by exhausting work—an intense blue-collar, long-haul supply job that calls for bodily power and persistence in any respect hours, typically from midnight to 3pm on weekdays. He’s the epitome of reliability, typically taken as a right by those that depend upon him, however he simply calls himself a daily man. (If solely he knew.)
With solely seven days of trip every year, my dad chooses to spend each single one in all them backpacking. This custom started lengthy earlier than I used to be born. He hiked the Pacific Crest Path in sections over 32 years as he solely had the seven-day window every time. I began becoming a member of him 21 years in the past, after I was solely 6 and he typically carried me on his shoulders. Extra lately my older brother has come alongside too.
Paper maps
After I was youthful, I all the time knew our journey was quickly when my dad unfold his favourite backpacking books and paper maps throughout our 12-foot eating room desk. He’s all the time achieved this, from the time I may learn “OREGON ROAD MAP” to now, making an attempt to assist determine the place we go based mostly on the descriptions written. Regardless of the expertise obtainable for locating trails and navigating journeys, he prefers to notice the right routes with paper and pencil.
Slightly than downloading maps and descriptions of the path onto his cellphone, he prints them out and brings them in a plastic baggie to guard them from rain.
He reads the guidebooks aloud each time we’re ready for our dinner to rehydrate. He likes to learn the outline of the subsequent day’s path: its problem, the terrain, or the crops we’re prone to encounter.
Our journeys are crammed with nonstop laughter, deep conversations and telling one another which Mountain Home meal we’re gonna have for dinner that night time. On our final seven-day journey to the Wallowa Mountains in japanese Oregon, we dove into the mysteries of the universe and its vastness.
Silence of the outside
My father thrives within the silence of the outside. He cherishes it, actually., whether or not he’s quietly observing the world round him or listening to the earth shift beneath our boots as we trek up a switchback.
On the final night time of the Wallowa journey, I caught him standing alone, gazing up in silent contemplation and awe. He was soaking in the fantastic thing about the Wallowas one final time earlier than we needed to trek to the automobile the subsequent morning. It made my coronary heart ache. Within the numerous instances he has checked out lovely views, huge deserts, craters, forests, mountains of sheet rock and wildflowers, he by no means can get sufficient. He’s all the time simply as grateful as he was when he had began backpacking.
Final fall, as we wrapped up our journey, I seen one thing that I wasn’t anticipating. My dad’s beard, as soon as sandy blonde, has now turned grey and white. This delicate change instantly made my coronary heart harm. It’s simple to neglect that our dad and mom are navigating life, identical to we’re. Rising up, we regularly see them as superhero figures. But they too are experiencing, studying and discovering alongside us. Simply as I discover pleasure in exploring new issues with my pals, they’re nonetheless discovering issues, however sharing these experiences with us, their kids.
Seeing his white beard now could be a stark reminder of how rapidly time passes. As my dad has gotten older, I’ve realized how valuable the time I’ve with him is. Every summer time spent backpacking with my dad is a valuable reward, one which I treasure deeply.
No rationalization wanted
Earlier this week, I received a textual content from him. No emojis, no context—simply: “August 11-17, 2025!”
No rationalization was wanted. I saved the dates in my busy calendar and began counting down the times till our subsequent switchback collectively.
Gear Up Like Greg
Title: Greg Wayt
REI Co-op Member since: 1999
Residence retailer: Eugene, Oregon
My dad is a creature of behavior, not often deviating from his routine until REI introduces a brand new ultralight tent or anti-gravity water filtration system. Listed below are three items of substances he all the time brings with him.
Therm-a-Relaxation (3/4 size) sleeping pad: He has had this since his first backpacking journey in 1996. My brother and I each have newer ones, however it doesn’t matter what he LOVES his Therm-a-Relaxation.
White waffle REI model light-weight lengthy sleeve: He additionally bought this for his first journey ever and has by no means as soon as gone on a visit with out it. It’s a bit greyish now, however he has by no means changed it.
REI insulated mug (here’s a hyperlink as a result of I discover it amusing that it’s now labeled as “classic.”)
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