Weekend Adventures

For years, my excuse for not getting out into the wilderness a little more often was "I'm too busy." Then one day I had the brilliant revelation that I will always be too busy. Always.

I had to find a plan, some way of prioritizing and making time for the things that were really important to me. That's when I discovered the concept of weekend adventures. OK, it's not rocket science, but I think this can be almost as great, and it's certainly a lot simpler.

Here's the idea: plan 2-6 weeks in advance, and put your weekend adventure on the calendar. For every few weeks it's a good idea to have a foul-weather-alternative handy, but with a little creativity you can spend a part of almost every weekend outdoors, and not just in your own backyard. I personally type up a chore schedule for my week anyway, dividing my responsibilities between days. Though I'm not the typical "type A," I inherited an irrational delight in crossing things off of to do lists (thanks a lot, Mom!), and this is my way to satisfy that urge. So in planning my weekend adventures, I simply add an adventure for every Sunday (my day off). If I know in advance that my schedule will be busy, I'll put a small one on there, and if I'll have extra time I'll make it a big one, sometimes even an overnighter.

It's almost idiotically simple, but when I've planned ahead we look forward to these outings. This anticipation motivates us off of the couch and into the fresh air every time. Not only do I enjoy just "getting out," but planning has helped me to get to know my area like I never would have before. I still have my favorite hikes, but now I do new ones on a regular basis because I look for them before the last minute.

One great help in planning has been a local tourism guide that I picked up at the bookstore. It has a great listing of free things, outdoor things, indoor things... really all of the things I could have wanted, and all nearby. Other good resources are The Best In Tent Camping guides, Hiking Missouri, or whichever state you prefer.

My husband has vouched for this approach because he lived in Missouri his whole life and had never heard of some of the great places we'd been. My only regret is that I never did this in the other areas I've lived in. We've got 34 weekends left in 2008: let's enjoy them!