Originally Posted by
fuji_owner
Lol, thanks. I don't think family would be happy if I spent all 3 weeks on my own.
Btw, I used to live in Mpls over 8 years ago, and actually loved it. It's a good city for biking.
Yes, family comes first.
I married late--35--and in my years before "settling down" I did a summer as a backpack guide and five summers as a canoe guide. In addition, I did a number of trips on my own time. Because I was young and was on an academic calendar into my early 30s and before that had, ahem, flexible employment, I had a lot of time, even if I had very little money (but because I was for a time employed by an outdoor specialty shop, I acquired good gear at 15% to 20% below wholesale). My tripping experiences "infected" me.
I'm a pastor, and seven years ago I took a sabbatical and was able to do a trip longer than a week for the first time since 1990. I started the time off with a three week solo canoe trip in the BWCA, and then my "adventuring partner," Bill, joined me for two more weeks in the Quetico. After that it was six weeks with the family, starting in Santa Fe, ending in Homer, AK (with Bill and his wife joining us for the final 10 days). There was much negotiating and no small strife leading up to the first half of the sabbatical. In the end, it worked out.
Our two boys are now 19 and 22, I am 60, and I'm preparing for another sabbatical starting in two weeks (the 19 yo is finishing up his first year in college and will be guiding at the Y camp in the BWCA where I guided in the 80s, the 22 yo is working with the Conservation Corps out of Grand Rapids, MN, so they have both been "infected"). I will be doing the kind of trip I've never done and will probably not repeat, a Twin Cities to St Louis to Santa Fe to Yellowstone to Twin Cities tour. My wife and Bill's wife (this will be our 15th or 16th trip together paddling, canoeing or winter camping) are concerned for our welfare, a bit nonplussed that they are being left with dogs (we both have Alaskan Malamutes), houses and yards to take care of alone, but they understand that we are who we are, and the four of us are looking forward to a Hawaii trip next March, a place none of us have ever visited.
A long story, but, yes, family determines a lot. When our boys were younger it didn't work to take a trip on my own or with Bill for longer than a week. Life is different now. With where you are in life, it might be well to take what you can, be grateful for it, and dream about and plan for future adventures.