Will I Need To Give Up Backpacking?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ก.ย. 2024
- This week I run through some health issues that I've been facing, and what I means for me as a backpacker. Hope this helps someone!
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Showing vulnerability is a sign of strength. Overcoming our problems is a sign of courage. Great video!
Well said!!! I agree. Don't sell yourself short, sometimes you need to take a break
Thanks so much for the kind words! It means a lot.
Thanks for sharing all this. Its easy to only see one part of someone's life and think it's all like that. You have one of the classiest channels out there and I hope it continues. God bless.
Thanks so much for the kind words! I really appreciate you saying so.
Enjoy the rest of your week!
It’s always great to remind folks that you have struggles just like everyone but it’s how you face them that matters. Stay strong Tim & God bless ya
Thanks for the kind words, Mark!
I am 68 and apart from arthritis which I have been contending with for too many years now, I have recently been diagnosed with angina, and that is definately putting a limit on my abilities to walk any distance, particularly in difficult terrain. It is a matter of being realistic, not giving up, but not pushing it further than is sensible. I intend to enjoy camping for a few more years yet, but sticking to low level and easy trails. You don't quit all at once, you just gently wind down.
Thanks for the comment and for sharing! I hope that you continue to enjoy hiking for many more years. I like word choice of "gently wind down" - it's very dignified. Enjoy the rest of your week!
Tim, I have been watching you for several months. You are always so clear and helpful in everything you say and share, but wow, this was amazing to watch! I'm twice your age, have sons on each side of your age and have been backpacking since 18 years old. I often ask myself the same question you face. Your summary of your situation and perspective is so wise and transparent. Keep doing what you do. Blessings to you on your journey.
Thank you so much, Greg! I really appreciate your kind words. Hopefully you're able continue doing what you love for many more years!
"Challenges are what make our pursuits meaningful." Well put, Tim, and thanks for the reminder. That said, I'm really hoping you'll find a way to keep Psoriatic Arthritis in check so you can continue your pursuits comfortably! Congrats on your discipline with the anti-inflammatory diet; I hope you'll find other things that help, too.
I get a lot out of enjoyment and information out of your beautifully-filmed videos.
Thanks, Jessica! There's a similar quote attributed to someone named Joshua J. Marine (I couldn't find much about him) which I read many years ago, and it left a lasting impression on me.
I appreciate you and your kind words!
Can’t thank you enough for sharing this. What you said at the very end is everything.
I'm so glad that you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for watching and commenting.
Tim, thank you for this. About 4 years ago I had a traumatic leg injury, and doctors told me I would never be able to walk without a limp, or jog. I understand how you must be feeling. Thank you for sharing that vulnerability. I wish you the best possible outcome, physically, but more importantly, mentally. That is the real struggle. I’m sure you will make it through this, but if you ever need a kindred spirit to talk to, reach out. I’m around.
Thank you so much for the kind words! I appreciate you sharing, and your positivity.
Are you feeling better these days?
@@timbschwartz Good and bad days, like everyone, but more good ones lately. Thanks for asking! - I love your channel, BTW. Thanks for all the positivity you put out, and all the useful info.
Hi Tim - I am a new subscriber to the channel, I too have PA and have had it for 20 years. I am 56 years old and the PA hasn't stopped my adventures but it has changed them a little - as I learned in the military you have to "improvise,adapt and overcome" - you will find a way to continue doing you thing - oh and yes don't be afraid of the meds, horrific as they seem they do work and help keep you moving.
Thanks so much for the inspiring words! I really appreciate you :)
I totally get it. I'm approaching 60. I treated my body pretty rough in my twenties and while in the military, I tore my ACL, medial and lateral menisci and did something pretty crappy to my feet as a result of lots of maneuvers in old style combat boots. The army doctor that did surgery on my knees was a back surgeon and used really outdated procedures. Fast forward to many years later, between 12-15 knee surgeries, back surgery, two mid foot reconstructions and pins in my toes (they all began dislocating individually), I LOVE to backpack and hike, but my feet feel trashed most of the time. When they are off, the knees and hips feel it all. ugh. I don't want replacements, so I just kind of backpack with pain, but I don't keep up with my friends when they want to do big mile days. It really sucks. SO.......I just check myself, change my expectations and still get out on trail with UL equipment and take a little longer to enjoy the journey. I probably won't do the big summits or long thru hikes, but I can still get knock out some pretty awesome trips. I appreciate every moment I'm out there and I won't give up some of my bucket list trails and trips.
Sounds like you are doing the same. You are super young and just remember how that the trail is probably the best physical therapy there is as long as you listen to your body. Keep on moving and keep on dreaming.
Thanks for sharing, and for the words of encouragement!
Appreciate your vulnerability. I had a couple scary things happen last year around syncope episodes. Full blood tests and such showed nothing… thanks for the reminder on what’s important and priorities. 👊🏼
Thanks for the comment, Devin! Wow, that sounds super scary and I'm glad to hear that things came back normal. Hopefully you're feeling a bit better these days.
I appreciate the kind words!
Beautiful videography Tim! I really empathize with your story, and the quality of your video plays a part in that.
I did one of the Camino de Santiago this year and there were people with bodily issues doing it. People with a bum knee or whatever, carrying a backpack and walking multiple more miles a day than the usual Joe ever will in a day. During it I heard someone say that ‘those who want to go farther than those who can’. Doesn’t sound as pretty in English but it’s sort of like ‘where there’s a will there’s a way’.
I have mild scoliosis, a leg shorter than the other, along other less significant issues - I will not let that stop me! I can not go backpacking without pain, so I got into bikepacking instead, and bicycle touring. The community is just as wholesome and welcoming. Bikepackers are as obsessed with gear as backpackers btw 😂
As a cycle adventurer (those who do both or a mix) I can afford to take way more than I need - and I rejoice in a night well slept in my comfy Amok hammock, which would be a bit too heavy for backpacking.
Thanks for sharing!
Glad to hear you're making it work - bikepacking sounds like fun!
First off, thank you for being vulnerable for all of us viewers. It is a supremely selfless act to be open about the hardships in your life for the purpose of helping others.
I also wanted to leave a note about how moving your videography style is here. The pacing, editing, coloring, all of it really amplifies your message. Bravo.
Thanks so much for the kind words! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Have an awesome week!
brilliant video, thanks for making it and I hope you're doing alright
Thanks for the kind words, Andrew! I'm glad that you enjoyed it :)
Take care of yourself/body. Great video as usual.
Thanks, John! I appreciate you.
Thx for sharing bro. Take care 🙏🏾
Thanks for comment and well wishes, Jonathan!
Great video, and hits very close to home. I'm older than you, but have been dealing with osteoarthritis in the knees along with some bulging neck vertebrae, which definitely affects my ability for long haul backpacking. I'm having to think a little harder about trips and be realistic, but I also want to make sure that I continue doing things outdoor to keep my mind content and give breathing room to a busy life. Maybe someday all I'll be able to do is a 5 mile total, one night trip but even that will be better than living on the couch. Good luck on your journey!
Thanks for the comment, and for the kind words! Sorry to hear that you've been dealing with similar issues, but it's inspiring to hear that you are able to continue getting outside and doing what you love.
Good luck to you, as well!
@@timbschwartz I'm getting out to one of my favorite spots this weekend, and while it might only be 8 miles total, getting to use my gear and just let nature surround me will be a blessing for sure.
You make beautiful videos.
Sorry you're dealing with health issues. It hit me too. In my case it was a dog attack on the job that kept me off the trail for a year. I also have some arthritis, but not your type of arthritis.
None of your doctors will ever tell you this, but I'm going to tell you this - you need to discover wild medicinal mushrooms, particularly the kind that help moderate your immune system, such as the birch polypore mushrooms.
I recommend that you start looking at some videos on the health benefits, habitats and identification steps of wild mushrooms such as at the channel Learn Your Land. Adam really knows his stuff.
Be very, VERY careful about wild mushrooms. There are fatal ones all around that can be confused with edible ones. So you really have to do your homework.
But a birch polypore is extremely easy to identify, and all you really need to do after identifying it is make sure that it's not rotten with mildew which is very easy to do.
You consume this mushroom by boiling it for 20 minutes in water. You can also eat it but it is not very tasty and it's very tough to chew.
You'll want to look at some other mushrooms, too but the beauty of the birch polypore is that if your immune system is overactive it suppresses it, and if it's under-active, this mushroom stimulates it. It's an immune moderator. It's an equalizer.
It's also anti-cancer, antibacterial, antifungal and can be used for first aid. It can even be used to sharpen a razor and to carry hot fire embers for days. It's pretty amazing for outdoor people to learn about.
For me, medicinal mild mushrooms ended my lifelong issue of catching influenza five or six times a year as I am in sales encountering sick people at their workplace/home. I was predisposed to getting the flu anyway. And the mushrooms worked.
I've only gotten the flu once in a eight years and only that one time because I was traveling and did not have access to my medicinal mushroom stash.
As soon as I feel something coming on I boil up a mixed batch of my mushrooms and boil the batch for 20 minutes, then just keep taking tea out and adding more water and taking tea out and adding more water and taking tea out and adding more water.
By the next morning I'll feel fine and by the next evening I'll feel like I was never sick. The key is to get in there early with the mushrooms.
Good luck.
Thanks for the kind words about my videos, Chris!
I really appreciate you bringing this to my attention, and I'll look into it more.
Hope you're feeling a bit better these days!
Enjoy the rest of your week!
This was great. Your perspective is also great. That's what will get you through it.
Good luck Tim.
Thank you so much, Jason!
great work introspecting and finding meaning in your circumstances. What we look for we find, and thinking makes it so. Keep going, man.
Thank you for the encouragement, Sascha!
Best of luck with everything! Hang in there and stay strong!!
Thanks man! I appreciate the support :)
Not sure what your “bucket list” is like, but for most backpackers the bucket list seems to be the grand and scenic trails or one of the Triple Crown trails.
What I’ve learned is that the typical “bucket list” hikes are like a coffee table photo essay, in terms of how easy they are to take in and appreciate. But you can get a much deeper connection with nature on less grandiose trails, trails that make you look a little deeper with all your five senses to get that special touch. The true beauty might even elude you until you’ve hiked them four, five, maybe more times. You have to hike them enough to where the trees and curves in the terrain become familiar. Then your senses start to go deeper. You notice things that you missed upon first glance. Maybe you stop and examine a trickle of sap running down a tree, discovering that it has a fruity, rather than expected pine smell. Then you notice a pile of dung near the base of a tree, and a hollow in the tree’s trunk. On a future trip, you slow down when approaching the same tree and notice a porcupine retreating into the hole. The trail opens its secrets the with each new visit.
My point is that to be a “backpacker” and feel the awe of nature doesn’t require an epic trail, a month long journey, or big mile days. It really just requires time communing with nature. With the realization that the “bucket list” hike is like a picture book, but a much more intimate relationship with nature is more like reading a poem over and over again to attain a deeper meaning, it becomes easy to let go of trips focused on the Grand Trails and, instead, taking in something much more pedestrian.
Thus, I don’t believe most people have to give up backpacking, only adjust their frame of consciousness and allow themselves to become more in tune with nature - in an environment that doesn’t slap you with stunning visuals at every turn. Embrace the challenge.
One of my regular backpacking partners is legally blind. He knows if he’s on or off the trail be the way it feels under his feet. He comments about the unique sound of the wind through pine needles. He loves the feel of the heat reflected off a sandy trail in the summer. His favorite bird song is that of the wood thrush. His experience is extremely rich, even though his overnight might only be 5-7 miles in and back out.
Every trail can open you up to a new experience, or a reoccurrence of a favorite feeling. There’s beauty waiting around every bend in every trail. You’ve just got to open your senses, and really listen to them.
I hope you get to experience you bucket list hikes. But if not, that shouldn’t necessarily mean an end to backpacking adventures in the field.
Good points, and very well said, Andrew!
I really appreciate the encouragement.
Thanks for sharing. Love the channel. Keep on keeping on.
Thank you for the kind words, Alan!
I love your channel. I went through a foot injury ten years ago this week from being run over by a car walking home from work. I was lucky and mainly dogged the car that did not stop for a red light. I am 61 and was recently in Yosemite and plan for Tour du Mont Blanc next summer and am working on a personal record of 2000 cycling miles for the year as I practice retirement
Thank you for the kind words, Phil!
I'm glad that you were able to continue doing what you enjoy - this is inspiring to read!
I have psoriasis and occasional arthritis and consider being outdoors essential to my controlling it. I guess you’ve probably seen what people say on various forums. some find “cures” and some don’t and the reasons for this can’t be the same across the board. Everyone is different, to some degree. So you get the adventure of experimenting, becoming a science project. I haven’t found a complete cure but have found relief in a strict diet (low carb, no seed oils, intermittent fasting) and, living a little north of you i found light therapy in winter really makes a difference. Maybe find some uv light for home (slowly at first) if you can’t access a medical light therapy (which, given limited hours of operation, can be too demanding on your time). Maybe adapt yourself to (cold, if you can’t move) seawater dips!
Thanks for the comment! Sorry to hear that you're going through something similar - hope you'e been feeling OK as we head into winter.
Yeah I've found that diet plays a huge factor, and I've also been taking cold showers which makes my skin feel great. The additional cold tolerance has a been a plus - I don't get that deep cold feeling in my body like I used to when I'd camp below freezing.
I'll look into UV.
Enjoy the rest of your week!
Wow, this is super timely. I'm going through something very similar. So far it hasn't been in my feet, but my right hand is flared up. They think rheumatoid arthritis, but haven't put a definite label on it yet. Thanks for the encouragement. Retiring in a few weeks, and thought I would finally be able to do more, and longer trips. As you alluded to, I'm not going to quit until I'm forced to.
Hey, Doug! Sorry to hear that you've been going through something similar, but I'm glad that the video helped out a little bit. I hope you're able to get it diagnosed and continue doing what you love!
Thanks for this video
Thank you for watching!
I too went though a foot injury (osteoarthritis) which threatened to derail me from ever fully backpacking again. If that happened, I would have to live my backpacking dreams vicariously through other people by watching their TH-cam videos of backpacking adventures. Not being able to backpack would bring a sadness to my life but what can you do?
Thank you for the comment! Yes, I suppose ultimately we can only exert so much control over our external circumstances.
That's a great question, and I suppose one would attempt to derive continued meaning from the new circumstances. For me, I'd probably focus more on film and photography, as backpacking is what made me pick up a camera.
Hope you're able to continue doing what you love fore any more years!
I'm in a similar situation, since I got diagnosed with Crohn's disease this year. The thought that maybe I'm not able to thruhike ever again was definitely the worst of them all.
I'm sure we'll both learn what the disease wants to tell us and overcome it. Then hit the trail so hard, that there's only a crack in the ground left after we're done with it! Wishing you all the best
Thanks for the comment , Adrian! So sorry to hear about your diagnosis, but good to read that you have a postitive attitude about it and are searching for some sort of meaning.
I've been getting really into using a food dehydrator to prep meals that agree with my bod - maybe you could try the same. It's not practical for a thru, but it's made shorter hikes way more pleasant for me.
Thanks for the kind words and well wishes! Back at ya!
My friend who is blind also has Ulcerative Colitis. At any given time, which has nothing to do with how long it’s been since his last bowel movement, he has to immediately drop his pants and take care of business. It is a challenge to hike with bowel issues for sure, but he’s still out on the trail.
I would say it’s less of an issue for him and more of any issue for anyone who might be running into us. Nobody wants to see that. For him, he just has to make sure he buries everything afterwards.
Luckily, I haven't got problems with diarrhea when I'm not in a flare up, so backpacking for a few days is not the issue. My love is thruhiking though, and if I'm getting a flare up, things are getting serious fast, since I'm losing a lot of blood and I'm vomiting stomach acid. With the hiker diet and the huge stress you put on your body, you definitely increase the risk for a flare up. A freeze dryer would be nice, but too expensive unfortunately
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There is rarely 100 or 0, it's mostly something in between.
Very wisely put!
I’m saying this from a place of positivity. You are not even close to being immobilized. You have got your head around your medical treatment. Go through the therapies and get more treatments. My beautiful younger sister who’s now 49 is nearly immobilized from MS which is also an autoimmune disease. We were lucky to live in Portland fro 98-2002 and we lived the pedestrian dream in town and day hiked like crazy. She’s been managing her MS since about age 25. Get some acupuncture and try some traditional Chinese medicine which all is readily available in PacNW. My sister is now barely able to walk more than a few min and cannot feel her feet. Believe me you are no where close to being done with your hiking and your body. You will get to do the things you want. It’s a mental game just like you said about the trail.
Thanks so much for the words of encouragement, Ann! I agree, I'm not completely out of commission as of yet. At the moment, I'm doing anything and everything that I can to feel better - I'm on some new meds which seem to be helping quite a bit.
Best wishes to your sister! I hope she's holding up OK.
Try to improve you liver and learn what foods are inflammatory and learn to stay away from those foods. Also, go to a chiropractor and get your spine and neck adjusted.
Have you seen Dr. Broke Goldner on TH-cam? She had lupus and was very ill and her diet helps a lot of people either RA and other autoimmune diseases. I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome so have similar issues.😊❤
Thanks so much for the comment! I have not but I'll be sure to check her out. Have a great weekend!
You too! She has lots of free content and Wednesday on TH-cam live.
Thank you for sharing. I have similar dilemma with feet issues. Can u recommend your shoe choice?
Hi Kyra! I'm sorry to hear that. I wear Altra Lone Peaks - I find the extra space in the toe area is nice for when things start to swell up a bit. That said, you may want to spring for something with a bit more cushion, like the Altra Olympus.
I have lone peaks so yes maybe try Olympus 😊
I would tell you to go get your dreams, the river of time only touches you for the moment.
Shot hikes or car camping.
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38?!!! Bro I thought you were like 22
Must be all the clean livin'
Thanks for this video. English is not my language, so I won’t write a long comment. Just hope that you will be able to find a way to continue hiking.
Thank you so much for watching, and for the encouragement!