It's Getting Harder to Go On Trips

[The White Coat Investor]

I just got back from a 3 1/2 day trip- backpacking with the kids in the new Bears Ears National Monument looking at Anasazi/Puebloan ruins. What do I return to? 100 blog comments and 147 emails. I have six hours of presentations to give next week in three different states, I haven't even started my taxes, and I've got shifts to work this weekend. Luckily I had cell coverage for 2 hours of the 6 hour drive home so I could get started on some of it.

Oh well, I'm still glad I went. We saw a grand total of 5 people on our backpacking trip and had two separate 24 hour periods where we saw no one.



 

[ENT Doc]

Is that a tent stake moustache?  Sweet.  Yeah, sounds like getting back from a week of military leave.  Luckily 99% of the emails can be deleted.  Never thought about this, but do you have to file taxes for each state you speak and earn money in?  That would be a pain in the butt.  Looks like a fun trip - happy y'all had a good time.

[Spanky]

I believe the phrase "high-class problem" accurately describes your situation :P !

[jfoxcpacfp]

And I thought the story was going to be about how you were hounded by autograph-seekers and it ruined your family's vacation...

[Craigy]

File that extension.  

[The White Coat Investor]

ENT Doc wrote:

Is that a tent stake moustache?  Sweet.  Yeah, sounds like getting back from a week of military leave.  Luckily 99% of the emails can be deleted.  Never thought about this, but do you have to file taxes for each state you speak and earn money in?  That would be a pain in the butt.  Looks like a fun trip – happy y’all had a good time.

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No, apparently that's a "crafting tool" (from Minecraft) that he carried around for 18 miles. It is remarkably similar to a tent-stake however such that the unpracticed eye (such as mine) might not recognize the key differences.

[WallStreetPhysician]

You need a locums blogger to keep an eye on the comments and e-mails while you are on vacation. I nominate PoF.

 

[The White Coat Investor]

I actually get a lot fewer with a good auto-reply than I used to. I've cut the book order, speaking gig, ad inquiry, and other emails out. I'm trying to redirect most of the advice-seeking ones to this forum where you all can help.

I really enjoy following the comments and truthfully like the one-on-one interaction done via email too (plus it provides lots of material for posts and podcasts), but they're mostly all the same questions that anyone who has hung around here for a while knows the answer to. Most replies are a link to the blog post answering the question. Occasionally I get a new question, which is a lot of fun.

[wideopenspaces]

I love how adventurous you guys are! When I was 12 there was no way on earth I would be convinced to hike around in the middle of no where with no bathroom access!

When I take trips I always try to return Saturday so I have one day to catch up before going back to work.

[Laeno]

I've made a stronger point to go and do more since graduating residency last summer, as I really didn't use my downtime as well as I could (my go to excuse: exhaustion--but my co-residents appeared to still do better).  So, I've done really well in the past 9 months, including a trip to see some friends in SLC--I see why WCI likes it there!  At the same time, I've increased my workload to basically front load working on my finances.  I'm starting to hit a point where I think something has to give.  It'll probably be a couple of shifts later this summer, but I can at least relate/commiserate!

[WealthyDoc]

I am suddenly quite grateful for my lack of email and comments on my blog!  Seriously though you provide so much value and help so many people that they really do notice when you are not there helping them.  That is a good sign.

[hightower]

Sounds freaking great!  Not to add to your work load, but I'd love to hear about what its like backpacking with children and how you do it.  My wife and I don't have any kids yet, but we are trying and we backpack a lot too.  I would LOVE to be able to take a kid or two backpacking with us someday.

[Zaphod]

hightower wrote:

Sounds freaking great!  Not to add to your work load, but I’d love to hear about what its like backpacking with children and how you do it.  My wife and I don’t have any kids yet, but we are trying and we backpack a lot too.  I would LOVE to be able to take a kid or two backpacking with us someday.

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I can tell you how everything with kids is. Harder, much harder. .

[The White Coat Investor]

hightower wrote:

Sounds freaking great!  Not to add to your work load, but I’d love to hear about what its like backpacking with children and how you do it.  My wife and I don’t have any kids yet, but we are trying and we backpack a lot too.  I would LOVE to be able to take a kid or two backpacking with us someday.

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You just go. That's it. You go. You say, "We're going" and you head out the door.

When they are < 2-3, you carry them. When they are 3-4, you leave them home with someone else (too heavy and can't walk far enough). When they are 5-6, you do short trips. When they hit 7, you're basically back up to speed.

Too many people become different people when they have kids. Those kids are going to leave someday, and if you've given up everything you love to do for 18-25 years, it's going to be tough to pick it back up afterward. We vacation as a family, we vacation as a couple, and we vacation as individuals. You still need to be you.

[Hawkeye225]

That's what I call living.  I'm no where happier than being in the wilderness.