Hey everyone, just writine a brief Farewell to let y'all know that I will be gone next week. I'm going backpacking in the Colorado Rockies, and will also be doing one day of rafting and one day of mountain climbing. So while you're all here comfortably soaking in your heated showers, I will be trekking through the wilderness, peeing in a hole in the ground, stuffing my dirty hair under a wool hat, sleeping under the stars and having a grand ol' time.  ;D

Everyone think some healthy hair thoughts for me while I'm gone - I'm sure to need them!  :P

See you all in a week
-Cairn-

Farewell, Cairn! We wish you a wonderful time and will definitely think positive hair thoughts for you. We'll be reminded of Cairn's camping trip when we shampoo. Happy Trails : )

Anais

Have a great time!  I've always loved primative camping.  There is something special about being in the middle of no where, out of contact with the rat race.  Enjoy!

You might even consider giving your hair a good oiling for protection and not worry about washing it.  Consider it a week long conditioning!

I'm home! And I had the most amazing week of my life! Our first day in Colorado was spent whitewater rafting. The next morning we went rock climbing and rapelling, and in the afternoon set out on the trail for five days of backpacking. It was very challenging, but wonderful. It felt so good to get out of the rat race (or rather, from sitting at home in front of the computer all day doing nothing  ::)) Being in the mountains for a week with nothing to think about besides one's relationship with God and where to dig a biff (bathroom-in-forest-floor) does wonders for the soul :) and for the hair - all those natural oils had plenty of time to work their wonders.

I discovered that egg + olive oil make a wonderful pre-trail oiling mixture which, followed by tea tree oil shampoo and a light conditioner on the length, left my hair feeling super-soft and manageable for days. I kept my hair in two braids for most of the time on the trail, and didn't even comb until returning to our base camp in Buena Vista. We were all VERY grateful for the showers (and the toilets!) when we got back. They cost 25 cents for five minutes, however (the showers, not the port-a-potties), and I didn't feel like wasting precious quarters, so I only took a five-minute shower. That only gave me time to shampoo my hair and body (shampoo is a good substitute for soap if you're packing light), but it turned out just fine.

After showering I got in a conversation with some of the girls in my group about hair matters. Locks of Love came up - a couple of the girls had donated in the past and recalled crying in front of the mirror after making the 'cut. We spent a couple glorious minutes talking about the ease of caring for long hair, then someone asked me if I was planning on donating my hair. I explained how I was too attached to part with it, and how Locks of Love reaps more hair than it needs and has some questionable business practices. No one seemed too interested however, and a couple of the girls were set on donating again in the future, so I didn't pursue the issue. It's a noble idea, after all, if a less-than-noble organization.

So anyhoo, that was my trip to Colorado in a very tight nutshell. If anyone's looking to get away from the demands of life for a few days, I can't imagine a better way to do it.

Thanks for sharing that, Cairn! Sounds like you really had a lovely time!

Welcome back!  Glad your week in the wilds gave you the physical and emotional refreshment you were looking for.  Any escape from your regular routine can be helpful in helping reflect.

Again, welcome home! I inserted another welcome home message somewhere on these boards after a post of yours... but came over here to get a chance to read about your awesome CO trip experience. What a wonderful time you had! I'm glad you were able to get away from the world.. I remember doing this in Idaho a couple of years ago. No phones, no electricity, no running water...no showers for a week and a half...and I also found that God is everywhere when we're in the middle of nowhere...  ;D

Anais

wrote on Aug 9^th, 2004 at 6:52pm:

...no showers for a week and a half...

No showers for a week and a half? Goodness, and I thought we smelled bad after five days!  :P


Quote:

and I also found that God is everywhere when we're in the middle of nowhere...  ;D

How very true...if only we remembered more often that he's everywhere no matter where we are!  :)


It was also a bit of a culture shock coming home; for a week I had little more than the clothes on my back, a Bible, and miles of wilderness, and wasn't bored for a moment. Now I'm home with a computer, dozens of books, a car (not to mention a shower, toilet, bed...), and hardly know what to do with myself. Ahh, to live the simple life...I miss being in the middle of nowhere.   ::)

Quote:

How very true...if only we remembered more often that he's everywhere no matter where we are!

Oh, I totally agree. Sometimes God gets lost too, and we're to blame for it.

And concerning the modern life, I see what you mean Cairn... Surrounded by so much modern ... stuff. It takes the focus and meditation out of most tasks or things to be enjoyed. I find that multitasking or complication tends to leave me in a blur at the end of the day, not really knowing what I did with my time. Everything becomes... well,... "stuff". After all, Mother Teresa didn't have email, Blackberry, and a mobile phone; and she was the happiest of all. Give me only one task and I'm all over it in smiles. Oh goodness do I love doing the dishes or scrubbing the floor.. I've always wondered why, but then figured out that I love doing these two tasks... because I can't do anything else at the same time!

...Or maybe it's a Sartrean thing... incorporating everything into your Self, being a metaphysical consumer of goods until there's nothing left. Buy a car, 'consume' it, 'become' it, and get bored. Certainly answers the age old question, "Why do women open the closet and say they have nothing to wear??" I wonder what Sartre would have to say about the simple life... that we wouldn't 'consume' everything when we don't have much? (Existential recycling? Just kidding. ;D)

Floundering in a sea of too much innovations.

Anais