Life is Better Outside

Henry David Thoreau went into the woods to “front only the essential facts of life.”

What then are the essential facts of life?

I imagine they are a little different for each of us. But in the mountains, those differences melt into the lucid, uncomplicated reality of survival. Food, shelter, safety. Even in short bursts of outdoor exploration these essential, rudimentary facts must be confronted. Backcountry skiing is perhaps the most obvious example. Especially so when the snowpack is irritable and ornery.

Every day in the backcountry is a reminder of how precarious the mountains can be. However, each day can also be a tether to the more philosophical aspects of life, and living. After all, each day we must front essential facts and realities that can be unpleasant, painful, and dangerous. But I’m convinced that the experience earned in the mountains has a real and meaningful impact on the everyday necessities that stare us blankly in the face. That is, we are better employees, better parents, better spouses, because of the grounded perspective that the mountains require.

Life is better outside.

Outside is full of uncertainty. And risk.

But outside is beautiful and unlimited.

Go outside. Front the essential facts of life. Learn and live.

Overcome.

Life is better outside.