Camping w/out signficiant other

“Hey, guess what....I'm going car camping w/out UK for a few days with a good friend. I was debating whether or not I wanted to do some backpacking, car camping, or kayaking during this time.....guess I went with car camping with a little bit of day hikes/kayaking/swimming or whatever else comes along during this time. Seems someone has found some time on their hands since I got laid-off last Thursday.

I wanted to do some backpacking, but decided I just want to chill and relax a little. Time to think about my direction I want to go in now. Got to get out of Manufacturing....it just isn't working too good. To many jobs going to China and Canada....well besides the fact that management just doesn't know how to manage things. Well anyway off I go next week for a few days w/out UK. It will be a little weird, but I think I'll be okay, just hope he'll be okay. :)”

“Sorry to hear about the job situation, Skeetah bait. Believe me...I know how you feel.

Go ahead and go without UK. I'm sure you'll both miss each other, but won't the reunion be great?”

“I almost always go camping or backpacking without BowlderGal. She doesn't like backpacking that much, so it's an opportunity for us to each do our own thing for a few days - a very healthy thing for any couple, IMO!!”

“I'm also heading off for the weekend w/ out my wife. She's at the beach in SC for her sister's bach/bridalshower weekend party so I'm heading to mammoth lakes to do some camping/hiking/flyfishing/photography. We enjoy camping and hiking together but she gets bored when I take too many pictures. I can also cover twice the mileage in a day that she can so I can go on hikes that I normally wouldn't do.”

“Synchro, my BF, is on pager duty quite a bit..and to be truthful isn't into doing exposed hikes in alpine for long miles. He also hates group hikes ;-) We get out for a trip a couple times a year with each other..and relax. He likes shooting photos so those trips are always very low miles as I pack donkey all our family gear (yowch!)

What I do know after all these years is that I appreciate him when I get back :-) And that it can be good to spend time apart....

Go have fun, relax and enjoy the days :-)”

“Synchro? That's a cool name!”

“For the majority of my married life (25 years) I went backpacking to get away from my wife. I think we've both changed enough that now I'd like her to go with me. Sadly she seldom has the time.”

“My wife just isn't into it. She'll go camping and dayhiking, but backpacking isn't her thing. It's the toilet issue.

Well, that and lugging the pack.”

“I love backpacking with my husband. I have only done one trip without him in the past 13 years. Unfortunately, he's having knee surgery at the end of the month (torn meniscus) so we won't be doing any hiking for a while. It is hard. I hate to drive and the nearest backpacking is several hours away, so I won't be going alone either. Besides, he gets very unhappy when we are separated. Best I've come up with is to drive the two of us to the mountains, park him at a campground and go off on dayhikes. But I won't do that until he is able to walk a little. It may wait until he can drive again. Unfortunately, his doctor said he will eventually need a knee replacement, so our long distance backpacking days are likely limited. And I'm not ready to give it up yet. I'm not sure how we'll handle that. Maybe with him doing trail support. Maybe just wandering for a few months at a time and doing short trips out of the truck. Or maybe we'll learn how to handle the separation. Doubtful though. Past experience is that neither of us is happy apart.”

“i agree with boulder but i would LOOOVE to get my wife into backpacking, and have tried...she doesn't like the heat or the bugs and i don't like the cold...i'm hoping that if i suck it up and do some cold trips this year i'll get her into it

i'm conflicted cause i do think it's good to be apart but she is my best friend and i love to share everything with her, plus i have golf as something to do without her”

“Hmmm, all this talk is making me itch for a solo trip...I think I'm due for one. completely off topic i supposes since I dont HAVE a significant other...lol”

“Canoegirl doesn't like to backpack?”

“Thanks eveyone for the words of encouragement. It's funny before I met my husband, I've always been independent and I still am to an extent, but when we go "backpacking" I do rely on him quite a bit. A couple reasons for that....he's more experienced than I am, he can carry a lot more weight than I can, and I'm a scaridy (sp) cat when it comes to trails that are too close to the edge of a cliff, and I rely on him to help me with that as well as up and over big boulder scrambles. And he knows all this about me, so he got a little worried/concerned when I considered a backpacking trip. Just shows how much he loves me :) I just thought I wanted to give it a try with my friend for a short trip, but maybe another time. I am considering doing some easy short day trips close by home, if there are any just to see what it's like to do it alone.”

“Bit she doesn't backpack and besides she's already become a casualty of the dating game...aint it fun. I hate dating by the way.”

“hey indiana, what every became of those petrified trees?...did they continue mining there?...i might be switching hoosier trips and joing yours instead, not sure...might have something conflicting with the other one”

“Damn that's too bad. All that time taking pics of her butt for nothing.

Oh well, nothing to do but hop back into the pond, dude...”

“Ribbit....kerflop”

“You will have a great time skeetah!
:)”

“Your relationship may vary....

I loved the trips my wife and I did together. Sharing the experience with her was very special for me. She liked the shorter, easier trips so I began seeking partners who would accompany me on longer and harder hikes. She never shared my passion for mountaineering, so I needed other partners for those trips. We would share the easy trips and ski days together and I would hike/ski with others on the more hard core trips.

After her bout with cancer (she’s going on 11 years cancer free) she wasn’t able to really hike much anymore. We still do short walks together, but the backpacking and skiing trips are no more. That’s not a problem because we have found other ways to share our time together.

I have been happily married for over 35 years. I believe part of that is because we don’t do everything together. We each have certain things we share and do with others.

The young lady I was engaged to before my wife, left me because of my passion for motorcycle racing. She told me..”I can compete with other women, but I can’t compete with your bike”.

I recently found an old climbers guide my wife gave me almost 35 years ago, inside she wrote..”You’ll always climb and I’ll always love you”.

Perhaps the key is not trying to compete, but loving that person for who and what they are, you know…the reason you fell in love with them to begin with :-)”

“awesome mtnsteve....well said”

“Ginny, I had knee surgery in 1969. All the ligaments were torn. Then in 1987, I had a broken femur and pins in the same knee to hold a rod in my femur. The second orthopedic surgeon assured me my backpacking days were over. I guess he was just being conservative. I do fine on weeklong trips in the Sierras. Time will tell what your husband can do. Good luck to him on the surgery.”

“My wife doesn't backpack, hike or camp, but allows me the freedom to to enjoy it. She has other interests and I encourage her there. Then we have interests in common.

I must admit that I would be so stoked to have her enjoy backpacking with me. When I see married couples who backpack so well together it warms my soul (e.g., wannabp & landscaper, snow nymph & snow dude, Shaggy & Trail Flower)”

“I go without him, but he doesn't really go without me. BUT we both have our own non-backpacking activities that we do on our own. It is good to have time apart sometimes. I need girl time and he needs his time with the boyz. AKA "testoserone replacement therapy"”

“That's what I keep telling UK, we love to do lots of stuff together, but sometimes I like to hang with my girlfriends. And once in a while I have to make him go do something with the guys. I think that's important too, to do things with and without each other. And yes skiracer that is correct the reunions are great! He knows there are some things I'd rather not do, he go do that with the guys. :)”