The Art of Manliness: Classic Skills and Manners for the Modern Man (25 page)

Send your son on an excursion.
A true rite of passage requires a period of separation from one’s former life. So consider sending your son on a service trip to a foreign country or on a trip guided by an organization like Outward Bound.

Whichever avenue you choose, the important thing is to imbue the process with great significance. Don’t be cheesy about it, be sincere. And treat your son differently when the process is complete, giving him both greater respect and greater responsibility.

Chapter Six. The Outdoorsman

“Crossing a bare common, in snow puddles, at twilight, under a clouded sky, without having in my thoughts any occurrence of special good fortune, I have enjoyed a perfect exhilaration. … In the woods too, a man casts off his years. … In the woods, is perpetual youth.”

—Ralph waldo Emerson

Many men today feel inexplicably restless, unfulfilled and depressed. They seek all the things society tells them will heal their man spirit: carefully watching their diet, taking supplements, exercising and visiting a shrink. And yet they find no relief. Why? They’re skipping out on perhaps the most crucial element in maintaining their manly vigor: spending time in the great outdoors.

Great men from Theodore Roosevelt to Ralph Waldo Emerson loved to tear out into nature. Yet today’s men see activities like hiking, fishing, hunting and camping as hobbies to be enjoyed by some and not by others. Such pursuits have become just another recreational opportunity: you can take it or leave it.

But spending time in the outdoors is essential for every man. It’s not an extracurricular activity; it’s a vital part of nourishing the whole man. The wild will strip off the stale, sissified patina that civilization has covered you in and renew your soul in four crucial ways.

1. Nature gives you a chance for unstructured exploration.
Most men’s lives are tightly scheduled and routine. Wake up, shower, commute, work, home, sleep. Each day you drive the same route, sit in the same cubicle and sleep in the same bed. Yet within each man is a strong urge to set out and explore, to start out a day with only the faintest outline of an agenda and to discover things never before seen. Scrambling over rocks, hiking up mountains and fording streams will make you feel like a kid again.

2. Nature gets you in touch with the basic elements and your primal self.
The modern man is subject to all sorts of rules, expectations and constraints. Buttoned up and buried in paperwork, he must act polite, follow the traffic laws and refrain from throttling the jerk who prolongs company meetings with asinine questions. His spirit is constantly hemmed in. And everything modern man touches, lives in and uses has been modified from its original form: sanded, molded and packaged for consumption. Almost every sound he hears, from the car engine to the ringing cell phone, originates from an artificial source. It’s enough to render every man with a mild form of insanity.

While every man should strive to be well mannered, his primal side should not be entirely neglected. Your wild man spirit must be set free from time to time. You must periodically tear yourself away from civilization and interact with things in their natural state. Touch real dirt, sit by a real fire, sharpen real wood and listen to the pure sounds of running streams and the wind in the trees.

3. Nature gives you space to think and puts your problems in perspective.
In the cities and suburbs, it’s easy to lose track of what is truly important. The world begins to seem as if it really does revolve around your tiny world, a world with few truly quiet moments. In the car you are listening to music or talk radio, at work you’re focused on the task at hand and when you get home you turn on the TV and zone out. Getting lost in nature allows quiet unstructured space in which to sort out your problems, think through what’s been going on in your life and plan goals for the future. Under the stars and beneath the trees, it’s easier to see what really matters. Mountain peaks, rolling rivers and radiant sunsets will make you and your problems seem properly small.

4. Nature invigorates your body.
Every now and again men must tear themselves away from the clogged air of the streets and the recycled air of corporate buildings. Your lungs yearn to breathe the fresh air of the forests and mountains. Hiking will invigorate your body. While all exercise is beneficial in alleviating depression and stress, outdoor exercise is particularly useful. The sunlight, physical activity and inspiring scenery will combine to rejuvenate your spirit and leave you ready to once more take on the world.

What follows are a few suggestions and tips as you begin to reconnect with the outdoors and restore your manly vigor.

Streamline Your Camping Trip

“Truly it may be said that the outside of a mountain is good for the inside of a man.”

—George Wherry

So we’ve established that spending time in the great outdoors should be an essential part of every man’s life. Perhaps it’s an idea that’s crossed your mind before, but you simply couldn’t find the time or motivation to follow up on it. You’re not alone. According to a recent study, Americans are spending 25 percent less time in the outdoors than they did just two decades ago. People are glued to their television and computer screens. Planning and executing a camping trip feels like too big of a hassle.

Yet it always seems more troublesome in your
brain-canister
than it turns out to be. The great thing about camping is that it is the most economical and easy way to get away from it all. And there are several things you can do to make camping trips simpler and consequently more frequent. Here are five ways to streamline your camping trip and keep it hassle free.

1. Find your campsite online.
One of the reasons people don’t camp more frequently is that they don’t know where to go. Thankfully the Internet has made finding a camping spot far easier. All states operate websites about their state parks. Click on a park that sparks your interest and see what it offers. Your choice of park will be based on your personal desires. Some parks offer amenities like toilets, water pumps and showers, while others are more remote and rustic. Some parks sit on a lake and are known for their fishing but lack hiking trails. Pick a park that offers the kind of setting and activities you are looking for.

Also, consider the distance. You don’t want the tiredness that results from long drives to cancel out the rejuvenation camping affords. For a weekend getaway, don’t travel much farther than three hours from your home.

If you are having trouble picking a park, visit a local camping and outdoor supply store. Generally the employees there are outdoor enthusiasts and will be able to give you some advice.

2. Reserve your campsite before leaving.
This is recommended for state parks, and essential if you’ll be visiting a popular national park like Yosemite. Popular parks fill up fast. The last thing you want to do is drive for several hours only to find that there are no available campsites. Many state park websites allow you to book online. If not, all you have to do is call ahead.

3. Keep most of your camping stuff in one big storage tub.
Part of the hassle of putting a camping trip together is having to rummage through the attic and make last-minute runs to the store to gather all the supplies you’ll need. To avoid this annoyance, simply keep most of your camping equipment in a big plastic storage tub. Once you have your camping tub loaded up, whenever the urge to tear out into the woods strikes, you can simply grab it and go. Specific supplies may vary according to what kind of camping you’ll be doing, where you’re going and what season it is. But this list covers the basics:

• tent

• sleeping bags

• sleeping pads

• first aid kit

• lantern

• flashlight

• extra batteries

• small whisk broom

• tarp

• matches

• bug repellent

• trash bags

• cooking supplies (this can be skipped, see #5 below)

• water jug

4. Create a permanent checklist that you can consult before each trip.
This list is for the things that won’t fit in a tub or need to be packed right before the trip, and might include:

• sunscreen

• pocketknife

• camp or lawn chairs

• clothes

• food

• firewood (if you don’t think there will be enough at your campsite to gather)

• toothbrush

• cooler

5. Avoid cooking elaborate meals.
Admittedly one of the joys of camping is cooking and eating delicious campfire chow. But cooking supplies can add a dozen or more things to your list of supplies in addition to the hassle of cleaning. So save camp cooking for a weeklong trip. If you just want to get away for the weekend, plan two meals that involve zero cookware and no cleanup. Here is the menu we always use when we go away for a Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon trip:

Friday night meal: Foil dinners. Wrap hamburger meat, canned mixed vegetables, cream of mushroom soup and spices in a foil pouch, and you’re good to go. Put together the foil dinner before leaving and place in a cooler. To cook, simply place the foil packet on the coals of the fire. The only thing you need is a fork.

Saturday night meal: Hot dogs. No tools needed here. Simply roast your dog on a stick. Few things are easier to prepare and taste better than campfire weenies.

For dessert on both nights, we eat s’mores. And the rest of the time we just snack on energy bars, trail mix and chips. No pots, no pans, no cleanup.

As an alternative to this meal plan, consider freeze-dried or dehydrated camp food. The food is lightweight and eminently packable. And all you need to bring is a pot to boil the water. For more hassle-free cooking ideas, see “Five Foods You Can Cook on a Stick”.

Set Up Camp

When you’re out in the wild, your campsite will be your home away from home. Taking care to properly set up your outdoor abode will greatly enhance the comfort and enjoyment of your camping trip.

Select a Campsite

“But the place which you have selected for your camp, though never so rough and grim, begins at once to have its attractions, and becomes a very centre of civilization to you: Home is home, be it never so homely.”

—Henry David Thoreau

This is the most important decision you’ll make when striking camp. When choosing a campsite, you should take into account a couple of factors. First, think about safety. Don’t camp in low-lying or marshy areas that are prone to flooding and stay away from high areas, like mountain tops, that are targets for lightning. Don’t camp beneath large tree branches. Dead branches, known as “widow makers,” can snap, fall and flatten you into a mancake.

Second, look for a campsite near a water source. Many campsites offer running water which you can use for drinking, cooking and bathing. If you plan on taking water from rivers or lakes, make sure you purify it before drinking. This can be done by boiling, filtering or using purification tablets.

Pitch Your Tent

After you’ve selected your site, it’s time to set up your temporary home. How you’ll pitch a tent will vary depending on the kind of tent it is. So see your owner’s manual for exact details. What follows are some general guidelines for pitching success.