Communing with Nature

When you think of the ultra rich and lavish lifestyles a lot of wealth can afford, you probably don't conjure up images of hiking through rolling hills of flowers or camping in the stark desert. Yet I am going to argue here that living your best life and buying your way to happiness must include elements of nature. 

An obvious feature of getting outdoors is that it is physically good for you in different ways. Most often, you'll have some kind of workout if you're spending any significant time outdoors - whether that be walking, running, hiking, swimming, climbing, biking, etc. Then there is the fresh air - the further away from society you are, the better. I especially love ocean air; I feel like I can breathe best on the beach. Being in the sun means you're getting a dose of Vitamin D - just balance that with sun block so you don't get burned and increase risk of skin cancer. 

Getting out into beautiful landscapes and appreciating the common and uncommon animals and plants around me is one way I feel I can stay grounded in the bigger picture of things. Work can be stressful, relationships with family and friends can be dramatic, personal decisions can wear us down, technology can burn us out. When I'm in nature, the natural beauty and the imperfections make all those things seem small. Being a little outdoorsy from time to time provides balance. 

How do I buy my way into nature? There are several ways. For one, I have a bunch of camping gear that borders into glamping, but is mobile, which I'll talk about shortly. One of my favorite ways of communing with nature is in my (or any) outdoor hot tub (or hot spring) with a nice view of nature. Soaking in a hot tub or hot spring is one of the few exceptions to the premise that most outdoor activities involve exercise, but it has its own benefits in soothing sore muscles. Additionally, travel allows exposure to different regions, different landscapes and more dynamic nature-oriented activities, and of course, travel is rarely cheap - especially if going long distances. Finally, I saved up several thousands of dollars and purchased land, and that is a great way to invest in seeking out nature. One other thought, which I have not yet executed myself, is to sponsor or donate to charitable organizations which support nature preservation - which may get you invites into exclusive hikes, etc. I suppose you could say I've donated my time to such a cause, which did get my exclusive invites - I volunteered as a docent for the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve. I enjoyed that because the job duties encouraged me to learn about the flowers and the various plants and animals, and I would typically hike 4.5 to 5.5 miles once or twice a week on my trail watch shift. 

My camping setup is a recent set of purchases with which I'm quite happy. It started when I bought my first SUV. Through the magic of Amazon, I was able to find an air mattress that fits snuggly in the back of the SUV when the seats are folded down flat, a two-person sleeping bag rated down to 32 degrees, and a one-sided tent that goes over the hatch door and around the back of the vehicle to basically turn the SUV into a tent, with bug guard and a shade and everything. That's the basic setup, but of course I didn't stop there. I found magnetic bug screens so I can open my moon roof and/or windows, and have more moving air while minimizing exposure to bugs (because - uck! I hate bugs, and I am a little bit of a princess even while camping). I found that the tent enclosure didn't perfect seal around all the edges so I bought some pretty strong magnets (with hooks in case we want to tie things to them) and use those to secure it to the vehicle better. I found a portable toilet which can be collapsed and tucked under the floorboards of my SUV when not in use, but fully expanded it has a toilet paper holder and everything. Cooling towels proved to be useful when camping in the desert heat, and a small electric lantern / power bank combo with a hook is a great accessory to hang from the handles in the SUV. Camping chairs and coolers are a must if you're hanging around for an extended stay. I don't have the cooking gear (yet) but the people I camp with often bring a portable camping stove of some sort - I'm perfectly happy eating protein bars and cold leftovers and whatnot unless someone else is cooking. 

When I go, I usually set up my air mattress before I leave (although the inflator plugs into the car so it can be done even in the middle of nowhere with ease), and then pile things on top of it or leave them under the floor boards until I need them. I think it's also worth mentioning, unrelated to actual camping trips, that sometimes I have my air mattress set up for late nights - I like to go swing dancing about an hour away from where I live, and I am prone to falling asleep behind the wheel. So now, if I'm driving home and start to get drowsy, I'll find a nice spot to pull in for a bit, and take a nap for a couple hours in the back until I'm ready to drive again. Someday, I'll be happy to invest in a fully self-driving car and this won't be an issue, but until that day…

The first (and currently, only) piece of land that I bought is in the Mojave desert, about 30 minutes north of where I live. I had scoped out inexpensive multi-acre properties online and then spent one Saturday visiting my top 5 or so. I fell in love with the Mojave property, because it backed up to a gorgeous little mountain range, had a view looking down at the city, but was far enough removed from the city that it was just the first level of light pollution up from being a completely dark-sky site. This meant that I could do some stargazing from the property. And stargazing I did! Once I purchased the property outright with cash, I camped up there one night in search of the green meteor that was in the news. I was so excited when I finally found it! I've camped up there a couple other times for meteor showers. 

I've also gone camping a couple times so far with my setup elsewhere. My friend and I went to Isabelle Lake over the Fourth of July weekend, and while we had camp site with a creek which we spent most of the time in, it proved to just be too hot for an extended stay, and we left early the first morning. 

We drove out to Amboy Crater to see some meteor showers and do some light hiking, and we were thrilled to have a fantastic view of dozens of meteors and a few pretty good fireballs streaking across the sky. There were only a couple other parties camping there that weekend, and so when I went for a hike that morning, I came to a slightly disturbing realization. Since none of the other parties in the parking lot where we had set up camp had gone hiking, and no new comers had pulled into the parking lot prior to my departing for my hike, I realized I was the first, and possibly only, person on the trail that morning. Often, when we hike, there is likely someone ahead of us and we'll pass people on their way back as we head into the hike. But there I was, sure that there was nobody ahead of me, nobody who would be passing me as they headed back, and I was completely out of eyeshot from the observation deck. Should something happen to me, I mean obviously my friend would come looking for me after a long while, but I literally had nobody to help me immediately. I did have my phones on me, but realized my personal cell phone had died (it had been plugged in but the chord was busted), and my friend didn't know that and may try to reach me there instead of my work cell phone. I wasn't scared, really. It was more just novel to feel so completely alone and so completely out of touch. I was never in danger and I wasn't really THAT far from people. It was just a fun, slightly spooky, feeling that I found refreshing and exciting. These types of experiences, I think, are really good reminders of why it is important to get out of the air conditioning, get away from modern society, and be out in the wild. 

I'm reminded of time when someone with me had a similar realization. My friend and colleague had suffered some chest pains and dizziness and was prescribed healthy eating and exercise as the main remedies. He had previously spent almost all of his time outside of work at his home, playing video games, and really not much else. With the medical issue giving him a little wake up call, I was able to convince him to do some light hiking with me a couple times. As we walked through the winding trails and small hills, he stopped at various places and was clearly awestruck at the beauty around us and the feeling of being outside and being away from society (even if the trails were partially paved and certainly well marked when not paved). It helped me to really appreciate what I had started to somewhat take for granted, and I recall that awe I saw and heard in him whenever I visit those specific hikes again, and many other times as well.