Where the Deer and the Antelope Play: The Pastoral Observations of One Ignorant American Who Loves to Walk Outside

by Nick Offerman

I think that a downside of the kind of shopping Jeff and I enjoyed is that perhaps it can fool a person into creating an actual deficit in life—“I can’t go have fun doing [x activity] because I don’t have the proper gear.” Of course, one should absolutely invest in safety and responsibly attack any activity with common sense and curiosity, but if you’ve been around the block (like George), then you might realize that you can hike a national park trail without dropping a few bills on a fancy new pair of boots. I’ve never to my knowledge finished the ups and downs of an arduous, daylong hike, arriving back at camp only to lament, “Man, that was so fun, but think how much better it could have been if only my middle under-layer was self-wicking! Damn!” To each their own, I say, because I can certainly understand both sides of the issue, based on my own hard-earned experience.