Ok, we all need money, me included.

That is why I get up at 5am and walk my border collies in the dark before I rush through the shower and run to the bus to get to work. The task is to keep the craving for it and desire for possessions acquired with it under control, in check. The unending want of more money, and more stuff, can result in a shallow and desperate life.

At least that is the ideal that I keep telling myself over and over again, because it seems like I am the worst for falling into a trap of wanting more than I need. (my daughters joke about how many pairs of wool socks I bought because I found them at an incredibly low price on the web).

But, it is true: I would rather be near the gold that I can see reflected on the high peaks the minute after sunrise. Let me wander for hours through a wilderness forest with my dogs and a map, making a wide circle back to camp that takes all day long, and I am happy, and in so doing acquire health of body and spirit on the way.

That is the beauty of the love of backpacking and wilderness. The desire for possessions and comfort may be replaced by a hunger for freedom and fresh air and adventure. What is learned is simply keeping things in their proper perspective.

And when the day finally comes that I get to start up a mountain trail with the shackles of civilized life behind me, and the unlimited beauty of a wilderness before me, it sure doesnt seem like there is much I lack..