E-Mail is Bad on Vacation

I just got back from a week in Hawaii and learned a very important lesson. I should say I re-learned a very important lesson: Avoid e-mail and as much technology as possible while on vacation. As usual, I brought my laptop so I could stay up on my e-mail. Each time I would turn on my computer, I would have at least one message that required immediate attention. It got to the point where I started getting mad at people for sending me work to do while on vacation. Then I realized that while some people knew I was out of the office, not everyone did.

Friends asking me to help with things in the neighborhood or with Scouts assumed I was just away during the week like I normally am. They didn't know I was trying to get some rest before the chaos that happens in the video game industry right as Christmas approaches. Once I realized that people were not going out of their way to upset me on vacation, I also figured out that the best way to keep from getting angry was to stop reading e-mail and checking my phones. In fact, I left them in my hotel room during the day and tried my best not to check them at night. I wasn't perfect, but it was nice to unplug from technology for a few days.

My 21-year-old daughter that came with my wife and I on this trip remarked how her generation found it difficult to unplug. She followed my example and left her phone in the hotel room as well. She noticed how others her age would float along on an inner-tube on the resort hotel's extensive lazy river with iPhone's in waterproof cases unable to refrain from constantly looking at the screen. She was disgusted with her contemporaries. I also noticed that younger children quickly snatched parents' phones the moment they were put down so electronic games could be played. Parents and adults were no better as they constantly ignored family members to stay in contact with their hand-held devices.

I enjoyed my trip to the islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. I especially enjoyed not being connected to the rest of the world. My hope that at least one person reads this and follows our example and disconnects on their next vacation. It may only be for a day or two but you will be richly rewarded.

Two Weeks Backpacking

My sons and I just completed a 2-week backpacking trip at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. It was one of those character-building experiences that I think every young man should have the opportunity to experience. Every day you hike to a new campsite where they have various programs in which you can participate. Some of our activities included shotgun shooting, touring a mine tunnel 500 feet into the side of a mountain, rock climbing, repelling, and various campfire programs.

The only technology we took on the trip was our mobile phones in case of an emergency. While most of the time, they would not work, we could climb to the top of a mountain and get a signal and call home. One of the other boys on the trip brought a Goal Zero solar panel to charge his camera and it worked very well. All he did was hang it off his backpack while hiking and at the end of the trail, he had a fully charged camera. My oldest son was also able to use it to charge his mobile phone after discovering he had an Internet signal at one of our camps. After a couple of hours of Internet surfing and reading e-mail, his phone was almost dead.

I have to admit that it was good to get away from technology for a while. The only downside was that I had over 600 personal e-mail messages and 350 work-related ones when I returned. It took me a long time to get through all of my mail. Now I need another 2 weeks off. I just don't want to have to deal with that much e-mail again.

Hiking Yosemite

My son and I spent a week hiking around Yosemite National Park with my Scouts in California. It was a great trip and I highly recommend visiting our country's national parks when you have the chance. While my son has been to Yellowstone, Zions, and the Grand Canyon, he had not been to Yosemite.

My Scout Troop in California managed to get 3 campsites at the Hodgdon Meadows camp site where we set up a base camp. Two of the sites were adjacent to each other while the third was a short distance away. It actually worked out very well. We then had a number of hikes planned with one for each day we were there.

I relied on some of the other adults to know the trails and how to get to them. That was a mistake. We spent one day hiking all over Tuolumne Meadows looking for the trail head to Elizabeth Lake. I got home from the trip and did a quick Internet search only to get turn-by-turn directions on where to go. Had I done this same search before getting to Yosemite, my feet would have thanked me for saving them from a couple of extra miles I put on them that day.

My advice to everyone now is to do a quick Internet search before heading to any new place. Don't wait until you get there, do it before you leave. After all, we didn't have any phone service except in Yosemite Valley and so trying to use my iPhone's browser while I was there wouldn't have worked for this hike.

Camping and Computers

This evening I am headed out on a family camping trip with a bunch of people from the neighborhood. I have done a lot of camping this summer and so I am wondering why I committed to spend yet another night away from my own bed, fighting bugs, and smelling like campfire smoke.

For those that don't know, I am a scoutmaster for the Boy Scouts of America and had the opportunity to go camping at least twice a month for the past year and a half. Normally the scouts go camping once each month but I have also been an assistant advisor to another scout group that went to Philmont Scout Ranch back in July. To help us prepare for our 85-mile adventure, we had additional backpacking trips each month.

All this time outdoors has given me some insight into camping and computers. In all honesty they really don't mix. The whole point of camping is getting away from civilization and enjoying the great outdoors. When I go camping for just one night, I generally leave the computer home. Nothing says "nerd" like hovering over a laptop while everyone else is roasting marshmallows.

There is one exception for bringing a laptop camping: playing DVD movies. At the beginning of August I attended my troop's week-long summer camp and we had one night with no camp-scheduled activities. We decided to watch a movie. I brought up my laptop, a dozen PG or G-rated movies, external speakers, a projector, and my super-quiet Honda generator. The boys then had a great time watching "Strange Brew." I had to preface the movie with a quick "beer drinking" disclaimer but everyone was greatly entertained. We even had a healthy number of the camp staff join us.

While it is fun to get away from civilization when you go camping, it is also fun to bring some selected bits of it with you. Projecting movies onto a sheet strung between two trees is amazingly soothing. Combine that with a canopy of stars and it is easy to see why drive-in movie theaters were so popular. Now if I can do something to guarantee it won't rain tonight, I will be a happy camper.