“I recently returned from seventeen days of backpacking on the...

“I recently returned from seventeen days of backpacking on the Pacific Crest Trail. I took up backpacking after I got through the divorce. It was my way of regaining some control. After five years of adjusting everything to her, it gave me something to focus on that was only for me. I love to plan the trips. I love to look at the maps, and pick the best trails, and study the elevation profiles so I can choose the campsite with the best view. There is no pressure when I’m backpacking except for the pressure I put on myself. In the city, it seems that I always have a reason for being in a place. I’m in this park right now because my therapy session was half a block away. But when I’m backpacking, the only reason I’m in a place is just to be there. And that’s very cathartic.” (4/4)