Thanks :meow-hug:
Part of the problem is even if I pared things down to the absolute minimum, I always know that I'm just one funny movement from being flat on my back again, and the back of beyond isn't a good place to be when that happens. So sometimes I fantasize about walking one of the pilgrimage trails in Europe, since I've heard that some of them still have places you can stop for the night all along the trail so I wouldn't have to bring anything with me besides toiletries and some changes of clothes, and if it did turn out that walking for days with a small pack was a bad idea, I would be able to catch a bus or train in a town and cut things short before I hurt myself. But that would mean actually flying over there just to walk the countryside, and that's a hard sell for anyone I'd want to travel with. So that'll likely stay a fantasy, unfortunately.
Have you thought about doing it on your own? Especially on those pilgrim routes, there will be lots of people to have the odd conversation with so you won't be that lonely. You might even learn more doing it that way since there will be more pushes to talk to other people! I spent a couple months on my own on a bike trip and I learned how to be alone and some other good lessons.
On that note, how is biking for you? It's not quite the same as backpacking but (for me) a lot of the ~spiritual part is the same: spending so much time in motion that it becomes meditative and going through natural areas.
I've done some solo traveling too and didn't love it. It's fine, but not really something I'd like to do again. I pretty much decided I wouldn't be doing that again without a companion. Biking in the US is a possibility though. I like to get away from roads, but then, there are plenty of rural roads in the US that are very quiet.
Thanks :meow-hug:
Part of the problem is even if I pared things down to the absolute minimum, I always know that I'm just one funny movement from being flat on my back again, and the back of beyond isn't a good place to be when that happens. So sometimes I fantasize about walking one of the pilgrimage trails in Europe, since I've heard that some of them still have places you can stop for the night all along the trail so I wouldn't have to bring anything with me besides toiletries and some changes of clothes, and if it did turn out that walking for days with a small pack was a bad idea, I would be able to catch a bus or train in a town and cut things short before I hurt myself. But that would mean actually flying over there just to walk the countryside, and that's a hard sell for anyone I'd want to travel with. So that'll likely stay a fantasy, unfortunately.
Have you thought about doing it on your own? Especially on those pilgrim routes, there will be lots of people to have the odd conversation with so you won't be that lonely. You might even learn more doing it that way since there will be more pushes to talk to other people! I spent a couple months on my own on a bike trip and I learned how to be alone and some other good lessons.
On that note, how is biking for you? It's not quite the same as backpacking but (for me) a lot of the ~spiritual part is the same: spending so much time in motion that it becomes meditative and going through natural areas.
I've done some solo traveling too and didn't love it. It's fine, but not really something I'd like to do again. I pretty much decided I wouldn't be doing that again without a companion. Biking in the US is a possibility though. I like to get away from roads, but then, there are plenty of rural roads in the US that are very quiet.