I was backpacking with my honey in Yosemite National Park. We were so fortunate to get chosen for the High Sierra Camp Lottery. Our trip was 33 miles, and more than 7,000 feet elevation change over four days and three nights.
It was an amazing trip.
And the very best part was that we were completely unplugged for almost 5 days. No cell phone service, no computer, no way to plug in and recharge, no EMFs, nada, nothing, zero technology.
I was stoked. But it took me awhile to settle in. And then it felt amazing.
We were in one of the most beautiful places in the world.
This is such a quick way to restore our bodies, minds and spirits. It truly takes completely unplugging and unscheduling. Being instead of doing. I love this quote from the book ‘The Art of Stillness’,
“Don’t just do something, sit there.”
Mostly because I embody just the opposite. “Don’t just sit there, do something!”
By no means was this an easy-breezy adventure! It was hard. The elevation got up to almost 11,000 feet. Hiking with a 30 pound pack up steep mountain passes and over summits made me persevere. After all I wanted dinner!
The meals were a bit challenging too. The first night at the camp we were served a lot of wheat – bread crumbs in the meatballs served over pasta. Yikes! Thank goodness I came prepared with my bison jerky, homemade granola and trail mix. Even fresh vegetables for the first day.
But many of the meals were amazing, all the food brought in by mules. Lots of fresh vegetables, fruits, and meats that I enjoyed. Every morning at 7am we were called for tea, coffee or hot chocolate and every evening at 6pm the same. So while we hiked by ourselves, we met up each evening with like-minded, peace-seeking people, for meals together. It was lovely.
We came home so relaxed. We were in the moment every step of the way because it was an extended meditation…constantly day dreaming while huffing and puffing our way to the next camp.
Get unplugged whenever you can. Unschedule things. Plan to just be. See how it makes you feel. Imagine just sitting on your porch and watching the birds like my grandmother used to do for hours on end.
There’s nothing like it for balancing hormones and growing younger!