Get out... and stay out

It's high time I resume practising what I preach

By: Bartley Kives

If there's one resolution I have to make for 2014, it's get outside more often and stay there.

For years, I've been telling friends and acquaintances to ignore all the supposedly important distractions that prevent them from going on daytrips, overnights or multi-day wilderness trips.

I've preached the gospel of planning ahead, telling people to block off time months well in advance to ensure planned trips will happen and organize gear and food to allow quick getaways when spontaneous opportunities arise.

I've yammered on ad nauseum about the psychological, physical and spiritual benefits of unplugging from city life and going with the natural flow of rising at dawn and sleeping at dusk in places where mobile devices can not bathe you in their poisonous glow.

In short, I've been a sanctimonious pain in the posterior, at times. But when I look back the past year, I see I didn't practice what I preached in 2013, when I spent a grand total of seven nights in a tent on pair of excellent but too-brief multi-day trips.

New Year's resolutions are arbitrary and cheesy. But I'm pledging in public to spend more time with the stars above my head in the coming year as a means of holding myself accountable - and maybe inspiring other dilly-dalliers to do the same.

Yes, most of us are restricted from unlimited acts of escapism by our jobs, families and financial resources. But no other form of escapism is as healthy, restorative and inexpensive outdoor recreation. But now I'm preaching again, so enough forward-looking nonsense.

there's a bit more of his posting at http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/other/get-out-and-stay-out-237796281.html.  while the whole post targets Manitoba Canada, I thought it pretty much applies here as well.