You Belong Among The Wildflowers
10 PM. I’m drunk. I’m riding my bike home, no lights, no headphones, just the gentle whirr of my chain and the occasional puff of my breathing. I get home and bitch to my roommate about how shitty the week has been. My phone is dead. I dance shirtless in the living room to a favorite record and eventually retreat to my room. I check Twitter and see someone posting images of all their friends on their Nintendo Switches. My brief period of peace is shattered.
The world is a little less fucked right now, or at least we’re blissfully pretending the problems have gone away. And once again it doesn’t feel so wrong to crave an escape. For a few years now I have struggled with the constantly growing desire to go to the mountains and hike. Each time I take a day or two to do so, the satisfaction lasts a little less time. I’m so stuck in the routine of work, school, and being glued to my phone that the concept of sitting in a car for a few hours to puke my lungs up hauling myself up a steep mountain track seems positively utopian.
Scrolling through Tinder feels like a constant stream of suburban white women reiterating the cliche demand, “take me on an adventure.” Though an increasingly annoying sentiment, it’s no surprise. Urban expansion, fear of risk, loathing of inconvenience, and a million other factors have rendered modern life mundane. To many, getting lost in Macy’s is likely now a memorable experience. It constantly seems wrong to take to an internet blog to proclaim that the internet is evil, but please, do me a favor, close down your computer or phone (after finishing this article of course), and go outside.
In keeping with this, it’s time for a quick list of my essentials for a life among the wildflowers.
A Bike
You already know my obsessive regard for fixed gear bikes. You don’t need one, but the simplicity of the drivetrain is tangible, invigorating. My first time riding fixed was like falling in love with cycling all over again. Plus, if you can learn to ride fixed on a trail you immediately ascend to the top 1% off all aggro motherfuckers.
A Hardshell
Yeah, I love Arc’teryx. But again, that’s just my preference. Just make sure you don’t Mickey about with any price-cutting not actually waterproof bullshit. There’s a special peace to the pitter-patter of rain running right off your gore-tex hood.
A Good Hat
I’m a big fan of clothing you form a bond with, be it the perfect denim or a ruthlessly abused backpack. As part of this, I’m a strong proponent of only having one or two hats, enough to match with any outfit, few enough that they will quickly fade, stain, and soften. For the real heads, keep an eye out for JTTB ballcaps coming soon 👀👀👀👀👀👀.
A Hammock
Sadly, I haven’t actually got any proper hammock trees in my current yard so I turned to fellow gorp-enthusiast Adrian for some words.
When this pandemic started, I decided to hold out in the “Covid Capital of Canada” (Montreal) instead of going back to my parents suburban home. It was tough at first until my landlords finally finished up all the construction in my apartment’s backyard. Now we have a large shared green space which has turned into a big excuse for me to spend my paychecks on outdoor gear. My neighbours and I have reached an agreement to share the furniture: tables, seatings, lights, a grill and most importantly, a giant hammock. My after work ritual always involves some time to let my mind wander, and weather permitting, I’ll almost always lay on the hammock and watch the clouds go by. Behind making my morning coffee, hammock time is easily one of the best parts of my day.
I was going to aim for five items because y’know, round number or whatever. But this list is about embracing simplicity so fuck it, four items. Now go outside.
