Traveling is the elixir of youth, medicine for the soul.
For all of the excitement and education that traveling is, it is also therapeutic. A man on the road reestablishes his childlike wonder for the world, and becomes more in tune with the Here and Now and Then and There. Time seems to slow, observations become more acute, decision-making more imperative, and things of a personal nature start to be analyzed. One becomes more knowledgeable about themselves, as well as the undercurrents of how they fit within the Whole. The road is a Mecca for the restless of soul, where the heartaches and sadness of life can be accepted and improved upon.
Recently at Hostel Fish, we had a guest named Chris, trail name: Dare Bear. Chris was a middle-aged man who had been plagued with misfortune for the last 7 years. He discussed how he’d been the primary, live-in caretaker for his father who’d suffered from severe Alzheimer’s, while also dealing with ailments of his own. According to Chris, he’d known the heart-pains of divorce, gone through extensive rehabilitation after having shoulder surgery and two knee-replacement surgeries, and survived a bout of cancer that claimed one kidney. He definitely did nothing to sugarcoat the fact that the pain, sadness, and frustration of the last few years had taken its toll. In the spirit of defiance, however, he exhibited an inspirational sense of optimism and genuine excitement for it all. He told me that he’d spent several months hiking the Appalachian Trail, and that the peaceful nature of such an undertaking had changed his life. “You’ve got to get your mind right,” as he says…It’s funny, because my father has always said the exact same phrase.
Traveling certainly has a way of power-washing our windows of perception. Dare Bear- who supposedly gained the nickname after charging a bear that was charging him- told me that, while on the trail, he took out all of those reasons in his life for sorrow, analyzed them, and one by one made his peace and tossed them away. “When you get your mind right, you don’t worry about the pain, or holding grudges. You’re reminded of the right way to be.” He and I discussed how life is chaos and cannot be controlled, and once you realize your inability to control everything in life, you can start to move forward with happiness.
Chris was en route to the West Coast to hike the Pacific Crest Trail- perhaps the most famous of the Mexico-Canada through-trails- when he had a mild heart attack. Afterwards, he decided to just kick it in Colorado for a while and climb some 14’ers while he rested and recovered. “There’s nothing better than being in the city, sipping a PBR, knowing that you’ll be camped out somewhere alone in the woods tomorrow.” After the PCT, he says Alaska is next.
The proverbial hat is tipped towards you, Dare Bear. Travel far, travel wide, make peace with that inside.
