Red Eagle Lake: 13 km multi-day hike into the mountains of

Glacier National Park, Montana

if it is not useful, don't pack it along with you

you can live indefinitely with a minimum of possessions

nothing makes food taste better than being hungry

Nature is free, and there is nothing better or more important

friends can help you out of a jam, or save your life, but they will not carry your pack very far - you are ultimately responsible for your own load

pack very far - you are ultimately responsible for your own load things that you want , but don't need weigh you down, slow you down, and are rarely worth carrying great distances

, but don't weigh you down, slow you down, and are rarely worth carrying great distances the best load is a light load

bears DO shit in the woods, and have a great view while doing so

a thin tent feels like a palace in the middle of a raging storm

if you have to carry your garbage on your back you reduce the amount of garbage you produce

clean, safe water is priceless

it takes very little to create wonderful lifelong memories

bears can run faster than race horses, and cougars are even faster - you can't run, or hide, so practice prevention by making noise, and be creative (climb a tree, get tall, confront your problems face on and hit the predator with a stick ...)

be creative (climb a tree, get tall, confront your problems face on and hit the predator with a stick ...) do no harm, leave no trace of your passing through

at the end of a long hike, driving in a motor vehicle feels like the experience it actually is: a completely dreamy global privilege , regardless of the distance traveled

, regardless of the distance traveled once home after days in the wilderness everything feels luxurious - your bed feels bigger and softer, food is prepared easier, and hot water is simply magic

A large part of my youth was spent exploring the wilderness while carrying a backpack. Most trips were conducted on weekends, and a few were a week long, or longer. When you have to carry everything you need to survive in the back country for days on end, you learn how to cut out the unnecessary and superfluous.Feeling deprived? Thinking of acquiring more STUFF? Go backpack camping in the wilderness for a few days. When you get home your hovel will feel like a castle, and you will wonder what all that stuff not in your backpack is for.