I wish I wanted to be more outdoorsy - and other things

[ElizabethB.]

I dont know about camping but I really really wish I was the sort of type that would know how to survive a zomby apocalypse.

Not just know know, like I read a book about it but someone who acted upon the instinct.

Because in these types of situations, if you need to think, you are already dead.

[Solmyr]

Wrote a long post, board decided it would be fun to send it into the netherworld without a save.

Summary:

Outside is overrated, much more stuff to do inside.

Went camping once, didn't like it much, lack of running water is perhaps the biggest dealbreaker. Cabin in the woods/countryside is OK tho.

Hikes are OK as long as the pace is not too strenuous. Also some people have the notion that traversing terrain that normally requires climbing gear and experience is OK for a regular hike.

[Prince of the North]

Oh, sorry. Maybe the correct thread then. I just thought it came outta left field since the thread title was about being outdoorsy. My bad.

Oh, there's certainly nothing for you to apologize for. I think I probably helped with the "veering off into camping stories" earlier in the thread ;)

[Quorra]

I dont know about camping but I really really wish I was the sort of type that would know how to survive a zomby apocalypse.

Not just know know, like I read a book about it but someone who acted upon the instinct.

Because in these types of situations, if you need to think, you are already dead.

Military training probably helps with quick reactions in stressful, fight or flight situations. You've got to have the training in place, so it's like a reflex, like muscle memory.

[ElizabethB.]

Military training probably helps with quick reactions in stressful, fight or flight situations. You've got to have the training in place, so it's like a reflex, like muscle memory.

You know, I always reckoned I'd end up in a convent or military.

[DireWolfSpirit]

I have the last week and a half of July dedicated towards beachcombing and standup paddleboarding. I'm really looking forward to doing the standup paddleboarding (SUP) because the area I will be in has a good combination of open water, river/stream, and a few inland lakes. I will be outdoors pretty much morning, day and night during that period as I usually end most days in the dunes and lakes with long bonfires on the beach. Its going to be my first time trying the (SUP) so I guess that qualifies for my "wish I wanted to" category.

[OnionAhaiReborn]

I adore the outdoors during the daytime. That's it. I do not want to sleep in a tent; I want a private bathroom with a comfy, soft bed. And there are monsters out after dark; everyone knows this. They reach through your tent and eat you. No thanks, man.

I spend most of my free time outside - I love hiking, gardening, observing wildlife. Come nightfall, my tail is headed to a hotel room or the house. Period.

I'm the same way. Pretty outdoorsy, but not in tents about it.

[Larry of the Lawn]

You are all crazy. Sleeping outside is about the best thing ever. Every time I sleep outside I wonder why I don't do this more often. I'll admit that winter camping / backpacking can be drudgery if any of your equipment fails, but 3-4 day backpacking trips are one of my favorite things of all time. My little brother is thru hiking the AT right now and I am insanely jealous, so I might just be a bit trigger happy on the subject right now, but sleeping outside in the spring/summer/fall is one of the great joys of my life.

[Kat]

Car camping is a good place to start because you can make pretty normal meals with a cooler and a stove/campfire, especially if you get into Dutch oven cooking. I recommend camping in the desert in spring/fall. The nice thing about the U.S. Southwest deserts is there aren't a lot of bugs, which makes camping about 40 times more pleasant. (I say this as someone who has spent months doing it with a full car.)

[HairBearHero]

I wish I had taken the opportunity to get more into watersports. I've lived on an island that's got one of the best surf beaches in Europe and generally loads to do on the water for the last 10 years and have never been surfing, kite surfing, wake boarding and so on. Now it's looking like I'll be moving away to somewhere where I won't have the chance to do these things and I feel like I've wasted my time a bit...

[HairBearHero]

I have so many genuine interests and things i could be doing but im just a horrible lazy slug of a person i just wanna get uni results next week move out of my flat and get a fucking job and earn some money and i keep putting new blocks in my way so i dont have to do the stuff that would genuinely make me happy

I make myself miserable stopping myself from doing things like joining a theatre company and going to the gym and walking and exploring and all sorts and im basically fucked and need to sort my head out

My other half is similar - she always needs just one more thing to be in place before fully committing to doing something - "oh I'd love to do more [activity], but I need [insert gadget/clothing/arbitrary fitness/expertise requirement] first or it'll be rubbish"

The only advice I have (and on the rare occasions she's taken it, it's worked) is just throw yourself into something and sort out whatever you thought was lacking afterwards.

People don't generally mind newbies fumbling around being a bit inadequate or ill-equipped - as long as you're trying, most people are just happy to share their hobby with you and will steer you in the right direction.

I'm also no psychiatrist, but when I was feeling particularly glum about life (post-university freakout about "what the fuck am I going to do with my life", similar to what you describe), I found taking up a new hobby (in my case, weightlifting) really helped because it was one area that I was definitely getting better at, achieving goals and improving myself. The feeling of accomplishment that follows every time you hit a milestone/master some new aspect of your chosen hobby is awesome. Pick a hobby, try it out, meet other people who also do said hobby. If it doesn't work out, move on to the next one!

To quote Shia Laboeuf: DO IT! JUST....DO IT!

i also have a huge mental block about cooking...i hate buying food i hate storing it i get anxious and feel clueless about preparing it and i wanna be one of those ppl like my flat mate who can just effortlessly cook and throw things into a big pot and make delicious vegan stews and w/e

So many areas of my life i need to sort out

Do you have/can you afford a slow cooker? Ridiculously easy and there's about a million good recipe books. Alternatively, watch The Hairy Bikers. They're brilliant and their recipes are simple/healthy/delicious. The only TV chefs I can get on board with.

[baxus]

I wish I would learn how to surf and sail.

Alas, so far no opportunity has presented itself for me to do so and living in a landlocked country makes it a bit more difficult to do on a whim.

[Theda Baratheon]

My other half is similar - she always needs just one more thing to be in place before fully committing to doing something - "oh I'd love to do more [activity], but I need [insert gadget/clothing/arbitrary fitness/expertise requirement] first or it'll be rubbish"

The only advice I have (and on the rare occasions she's taken it, it's worked) is just throw yourself into something and sort out whatever you thought was lacking afterwards.

People don't generally mind newbies fumbling around being a bit inadequate or ill-equipped - as long as you're trying, most people are just happy to share their hobby with you and will steer you in the right direction.

I'm also no psychiatrist, but when I was feeling particularly glum about life (post-university freakout about "what the fuck am I going to do with my life", similar to what you describe), I found taking up a new hobby (in my case, weightlifting) really helped because it was one area that I was definitely getting better at, achieving goals and improving myself. The feeling of accomplishment that follows every time you hit a milestone/master some new aspect of your chosen hobby is awesome. Pick a hobby, try it out, meet other people who also do said hobby. If it doesn't work out, move on to the next one!

To quote Shia Laboeuf: DO IT! JUST....DO IT!

Do you have/can you afford a slow cooker? Ridiculously easy and there's about a million good recipe books. Alternatively, watch The Hairy Bikers. They're brilliant and their recipes are simple/healthy/delicious. The only TV chefs I can get on board with.

LOL. Motivational Laboeuf. That video is all kinda of WTF and hilarious. Thanks. :P :D

And I have to be picky with TV chef and cook books because I'm veggie and I want to go vegan one day.

Hmm I like idea of throwing myself into something and then sorting it out after but easier said than done :P i am gonna try and find a hobby to stick too soon when i get my results and im moved out of my flat and settled tho.

[HairBearHero]

And I have to be picky with TV chef and cook books because I'm veggie and I want to go vegan one day.

Ah. Maybe not the Hairy Bikers then - I don't know if they do veggie stuff as I'm never particularly on the lookout for it!

Hmm I like idea of throwing myself into something and then sorting it out after but easier said than done :P i am gonna try and find a hobby to stick too soon when i get my results and im moved out of my flat and settled tho.

Of course it is, but try not to set "I will do it after X" limits because you'll always find another reason not to start. I was pretty terrible for this as well, so I get where you're coming from but it's a habit that I don't miss. For instance, why do you need to wait until after you've got your results?

[Eponine]

And I have to be picky with TV chef and cook books because I'm veggie and I want to go vegan one day.

Vegetarian chili and vegetable hash are two of my frequent go-to's. I don't love cooking, and both are easy, one pot meals.

I cut up the vegetables with one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Vidalia-Chop-Wizard-VOWR-2/dp/B000I6JZWA/ref=sr_1_6

It saves me a lot of time.

[Lany Freelove Cassandra]

I don't get very dirty camping, are you sure you are going it right? I prefer hiking in the spring and fall to avoid getting too sweaty (cooler temps)

I go to camp sites with showers on location, and there is no law against using a wee bit of make up while camping, especially if it has sunscreen in it ;)

While I don't mind my super sweaty workouts, I do hate being sweaty in public (other than the gym)

Since I have decided life is too short not to do things that make me happy, there is nothing that really falls within this type of list for me.

Now having more money & more talent, yeah, I could use some of that :P

[Tears of Lys]

I don't get very dirty camping, are you sure you are going it right? I prefer hiking in the spring and fall to avoid getting too sweaty (cooler temps)

I go to camp sites with showers on location, and there is no law against using a wee bit of make up while camping, especially if it has sunscreen in it ;)

Lany has the right of it. Hiking in the fall is wonderful. Fewer bugs too. Bugs are the main reason I would never go on "Naked and Afraid." Have you SEEN the welts and spots all over the people's bodies? It's horrific.

My main want-to-do is rock climbing (probably inside, though.) I'm not sure I'd like it, and by the time I figured that out, I'd be in the middle of some freakin' rock. The fact I have disk problems in my neck which affect my arms would put a serious glitch into climbing too. But who knows? Maybe I'd like it.

(Don't turn this into a rock-climbing enthusiast's thread, though. The chances of me actually climbing a rock are around 10-20%.

[Quorra]

I don't get very dirty camping, are you sure you are going it right?

No, not at all. I also get a lot of cuts and bruises when I go camping. I have no idea how to do it right.

Hiking in the Fall is just the most glorious experience of life.

[Jaxom 1974]

I'm the same way. Pretty outdoorsy, but not in tents about it.

My idea of roughing it is a hotel without a jacuzzi.

[Tears of Lys]

I'm the same way. Pretty outdoorsy, but not in tents about it.

Heh. I just got this.

Doh.