I was recently devoting some casual thought to the different approaches I've developed in two of my favorite active pursuits: cycling and backpacking. It suddenly struck me that my modus operandi in each of these pursuits seemed to be at complete odds with one-another. In cycling, I care very little about the one variable on which so many other athletic and sport-oriented cyclists seem to place so much emphasis: the weight of the bicycle and attendant equipment. In backpacking, on the other hand, I am totally obsessive about the weight I carry; I'll go to great lengths to cut my pack weight by a few more ounces.
At first I puzzled over why I would have arrived at such seemingly opposite approaches to these two activities. Upon further reflection, however, I've decided that in actuality these approaches are really reflections of the same ideal: a certain type of minimalism that has as its goal the removal of emphasis from equipment and technology and the placing of focus back onto the activity itself.
This is certainly not to say that I am anti-technology or anti-equipment--hardly so, in fact. I truly love and appreciate bicycles simply for the engineering and artistic aspects of their design and construction. And I am as susceptible as anyone to endlessly roaming the aisles at REI, gawking at all the latest outdoor gadgetry and jiggery-pokery: backpacking stoves, tents, sleeping bags, GPS devices, etc. It's all interesting stuff, and some of it can actually be helpful. But I am always suspicious, and always asking myself this two-part question: is this latest "technological advance" (whataever it may be) or newer, even lighter bicycle really going to help me get more out of the activity, or will it perhaps, somehow, actually pull me further away from the essence of it?
I'm going to spend the next two or three posts addressing this question as it relates to the aforementioned activities: cycling and backpacking. We'll see where the discussion goes...
2 comments:
Hello Michael, I read both of your posts about backpacking and riding. As a one time back country guide and ex bicycle racer, I found them interestingly at odds. Perhaps one explanation is that the bicycle carries you and that you carry the backpack- a ten pound difference in the cycling gear is more or less weight bearing, where a ten pound difference in the pack is being carried by you. The explanation I prefer is just personal choice and that there is no underlying logic or philosophy that describes your choice nor does there need to be.
Hi Olivia, thanks for the comment. It's the strange discrepancy between the two "philosophies" that really got me thinking, and wanting to try to parse-out what it means. I like what you say about carrying the weight versus being carries, and I think that is at the core of it. I also like what you say about there not really needing to be an underlying philosophy at all--that makes sense to me. Just enjoy the activity, and do so in a way that works for you. For me, it's all about versatility and adaptability, I think--being able to go on my bike, or by foot, wherever I want with the most minimal amount of hassle.
Thanks again, and cheers!
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