When you’re living the 9-5 life getting outside is a challenge. Even if you’re ducking out of work at 3pm or 4pm on your lucky days...motivating yourself to get outside + roam after a long day is not easy! This is especially true on Fridays when everyone is rushing for the door to take on a their weekend with gusto. By the time you hit the road you’re exhausted + seriously contemplating turning around just to sleep in your own bed. Alas, it does not always have to be like this! There is a workaround to the chaos of fitting it all in on the weekends. Take baby steps! No, not into the weekend itself...put on your big girl shoes + sprint toward the weekend when it shows up. However, leading up to the weekend you can take baby steps to get ready for adventures. There’s no need to put extra pressure on yourself as soon as the clock hits 4:59pm on Friday. We want your weekend to be as stress-free as possible, so here are a few ways to avoid the chaos!
Make A List
Depending upon how you feel about lists you can go for a simple ‘place to see’ list or an elaborate color coordinated list with mileage, accessibility + seasonal popularity. We won’t judge, either way. The purpose of this list is to give you a few ideas of what the local trails have to offer. Make sure to add a wide variety of trails to your list. You’ll want high + dry trails for a post-rain hike. A low-key hike would be great to take on after a hectic week. Of course, don’t forget to include backpacking route for the week’s when you’re lucky enough to snag an extra day off. Get to know the area near your home + make note of the areas you’d like to explore. When the weekend nears check the weather then flip through your list. What adventure would be best for a snow day or a rainy day or a beautifully sunny day? Pick whatever works for you...then either add it back to the list or replace it with something new when you return.
Pack a “Go Bag”
What do you need on every day trip you venture out onto? If it’s non-perishable, pack it up! At the end of each day hike, replenish whatever you used. The same goes for camping trips -- you’ll always need a tent, sleeping pad, sleeping bag, etc. Have all of these items stashed away in the same area. If your car camping + backpacking gear overlaps, have a tote of the shared items ready to toss into the car at all times. This will help you in two ways. First, you won’t have to run around the house packing as soon as you get home from work on Friday. Second, you’re far less likely to forget something when it is always ready to go.Stock up on Trail Snacks
You know what your favorite trail snacks are, right?! Well, stock up on them! Have a pile of your favorite granola bars in the cupboard, a bag of Skittles in your backpack + road trip chips in your “go bag”. Have it all ready to go...but do NOT allow yourself to consume any of these treats until you’re actually out on an adventure. Yes, it will be tempting to break into your snacks when you’re sitting on the couch but resist the urge. This food strategy aligns with the gear stashing -- you’ll always be ready to go. Plus, you are setting yourself up to always be excited about your trail snacks. This keeps them a motivator to just keep hiking when all you want to do is nap on the trailside. The same can be said for camp meals. Keep a few pre-made dehydrated meals tucked away in your gear closet so you’re always ready to go. That stop by an outdoor store to grab food will set you back at least 30 minutes + no weekend has time for that!
Be Okay Staying In
Okay, okay, this isn’t exactly a tip on how to get yourself outside on the weekend...but it is a bit of advice to keep you going outside in the long term. There will be weekends when the last thing you want to do is venture outside your home. There is laundry to be done, cookies to bake + movies to catch up on. That is a-okay. Give yourself permission to stay in + catch up on a bit of down time. It’s best to do this before you’re completely run down...so listen to your body, not your Instagram feed! Those are just a few ways we like to make the most of our weekend. There is never enough time in the weekend, so being ready to go keeps the chaos at bay.
How do you take advantage of your weekends? Do you have any tips you can add? We’d love to hear them...because we could always fine tune our strategy a bit!
