It’s November and we got our first snow today. That’s probably a major clue as to where we ended up living, but we’ll talk more about that in another post. I will say it’s now been three weeks since we moved in and every day I’m still amazed by some of the small conveniences of modern life.
During our time on the road we rarely slept in the same place or on the same mattress/air bed/pull-out-couch two nights in a row. We spent a ton of time hiking and camping and also put in long days of driving. I (Sarah) had never lived like that before and I didn’t know what to expect. I was familiar with living primitively but there’s a big difference between living in the backcountry and living in a sedan (most notably my new tight hip flexors from the endless hours of sitting in a car).
With that in mind, here’s a top-5 list of what I learned to take advantage of anytime I was able:
1. Eat whenever you can, not by a clock.
This is huge. There were times on the trail we’d arrive early to our campsite and decide we could put off eating dinner and then get drenched in hours of rain. Many days in the car we would hold out to “stop somewhere down the road” for lunch only to find the only cafe for the next 150 miles was closed for the day. Eat when you can, even if it’s earlier than you usually would. You’ll probably eat better because you won’t be starving (or cold or tired) and taking care of your body is key when you’re already stressed from traveling or hiking.
2. If there’s a bathroom, use it.
Seriously. I know, it’s totally fine to pee in the woods (and I’ll have another post on that soon), but the bulk of our trip involved 
lots of time in a car. In either situation, do what your mother told you and just try to see if you can go. Many areas in which we hiked were so crowded it was tough to find a spot to pull off and answer the call of nature and it actually wouldn’t be great for the environment if everyone coming through dug their own little cat holes. On the road, who knew when we might pass another rest stop? I don’t care about flush toilets and in fact preferred some of the amazing composting designs we encountered on the way, but I am still amazed at the fact I have a bathroom attached to my bedroom now and don’t have to walk across a campground at 3am because I drank my tea too late.
3. Same goes for showers.
Who doesn’t love that steamy clean feeling after putting in a ton of miles on a hike? I love backcountry trips but I also came to appreciate the comfort of a shower anytime I could get one. There aren’t showers in the backcountry (please don’t try to use “biodegradable” soap in a lake or river…someone will be filtering that for drinking water later) and it was fairly rare to find campgrounds with showers. We quickly found that any time we were somewhere with a shower – whether a campground, a hotel, or even a cafe – it was worth using. Even if we just showered the day before we didn’t know when the next one was coming, and it sometimes was close to a week (and lots of hiking), even on the road trip, before we found another shower. I think we paid $7 for a shower once in Montana, after a 20 mile day hike, and that was the best $7 spent in that state (our farm-fresh cherries were only $3).
4. And laundry.
When you’re in the backcountry or living out of a car, chances are you have a very limited wardrobe. I had two t-shirts, one tank top, one long-sleeved shirt, two pairs of pants, one pair of running capris, and one pair of shorts with me from June 20th 
until October 31st. I had one t-shirt, one pair of pants, and 3 pairs each of socks and underwear for our time on the Long Trail. That means each item got a LOT of wear. Since we were traveling in the summer, that was hot, sweaty, dusty or humid, very intense wear. Most campgrounds didn’t offer laundry but anytime we found laundry in a town or campground, we washed everything we could. Usually we’d shower first, put on whatever was clean (sometimes that meant swimsuits), and do the laundry after. We took good care of our clothes and I’m happy to report none are worse for the wear, thanks to a delicates bag for the merino clothes. They, in turn, took good care of us and kept us sheltered from the rain, hail, snow, sun, sandstorms, and cities we encountered whilst keeping us looking presentable.
5. Fill up your water bottles. All of them.
This probably should be first, now that I think about it. Without drinkable water, you’re not getting too far. I still can’t believe I can simply turn a handle and get clean drinking water in any sink in our home now. Whether you’re in the backcountry and filtering water or trying to ration the last bits of every bottle you have on a road trip, having water is a necessity. I understand not wanting to carry too much on your back, but if you’re headed out on a long hike, try to see if anyone has reported any water sources/conditions on the trail. We once packed over 9 liters of water for a day hike and were glad we did as there were no sources for the entire 19 miles. There were many days on the road where we drank both of our one-liter Nalgenes, both of our Vapur roll up bottles, and our entire Nalgene Cantene before we were able to find a place to refill. You’ll want that water, especially in the summer. Fill up, and drink up, pup.
Trailyweds 