IT #40 << Independent Traveler is officially middle-aged 😱

And I just turned 60. It's time to kick some buckets!!

Wilderness camping on a Lake Huron island. Good thing someone left a bucket.

Fellow Travelers, have you ever made a bucket list? I have not.

I was thinking about bucket lists, because I recently came across a particularly formidable one, containing no fewer than 100 entries, the most impressive of which —climbing Mt. Everest, cycling across a continent, drinking Kopi luwak coffee, etc.— have already been checked off.

There’s some controversy about the origins of the phrase “Bucket List”, but most people agree that it came into wide usage after the release of the movie with the same title, starring Morgan Freeman & Jack Nicholson, whose characters, upon receiving terminal illness diagnoses, decided to dedicate themselves to the things they’ve missed out on during the regular course of their lives.

Since I just went through one of those monumental wormholes —a birth anniversary ending in a zero— even without troubling medical news, I’ve spent more than the usual amount of time pondering questions that boil down to “how do I handle the must do, so there’s enough time and energy left for want to do. And what is it that I actually want to do.”

Unfortunately, both the movie, and the bucket list example I cited at the beginning, perpetuate the idea that our adventures must be momentous and our achievements the stuff of headlines.

Is an adventurous life entirely incompatible with a “regular” one? Would you be doing it wrong if instead of going on epic journeys, you opted for frequent trips along a shorter radius? Does a journey of a thousand miles have to happen all at once, or could you take it in shorter increments?

The mindset that worthwhile life experiences must involve a (1) radical detachment from ordinary life, (2) intercontinental travel, and (3) significant investment of money keeps many of us from fully embracing what we have, living life on our own terms, and enjoying that choice, rather than pining away for something we think we should have.

If adventure, exploration and excursions into the world of natural wonders happen to be what you’re after, I’ve said this before: all you need is some hiking shoes or a bicycle, a handful of well-designed, compact accessories, and your own power. With a fairly simple toolkit you can leave routine behind, enjoy freedom and nature, and have it take your breath away pretty much whenever you want. And you can keep your home, your relationships, your job and your pets.

IT #34 Microescape Gear Roundup

I went back and reviewed the impressive bucket list mentioned earlier, and —you know what?— it’s not my bucket list. I prefer my adventures to be more compact, closer to home, at least theoretically doable (for me), and less dependent on a robust budget and frequent airline travel.

I was thinking another thing, too: you know those Facebook quizzes where you give yourself a point for every famous global destination you’ve visited? Whenever I see those, I wonder if people who score exceptionally high on the global scale know what is hiding right under their noses. What is right under my nose is precisely what fascinates me: what lurks in the woods next door? what haven’t I discovered yet? how can I translate a transcontinental pursuit into the Midwestern vernacular?

So here, without further ado is my 100 Buckets. Feel free to give yourself a point or two for every one of those places you’ve been, or things you’ve done, or cross out my experiences and personal achievements, and substitute ones that are part of your life vision.

Bikapacking on the North Country Trail

LOCATIONS

• Visit Tahquamenon Falls, MI

• Visit Big Manitou Falls, WI

• See Cataract Falls, IN

• Tour a Wisconsin cave

• Tour the caves at Spring Mill SP, IN

• Visit Ice Caves in the UP

• Hike to the top of Mt. Avron, MI

• Hike at Natural Bridge SP, WI

• Hike the Portland Arch Trail, IN

• Walk on the Pomona Natural Bridge, IL

• Hike Garden of the Gods, IL

• Hike through Giant City SP, IL

• See petroglyphs at Piney Creek Ravine, IL

• Ride the Tunnel Hill Trail, IL

• Backpack in Porcupine Mountains, MI

• Visit Beaver Island, MI

• Visit Manitou Island, MI

• Visit Isle Royale, MI

• Camp on Grand Island, MI

• Paddle the Apostle Islands, WI

• Camp on Rock Island, WI

• Paddle Les Cheneaux Islands, MI

• Kayak around Turnip Rock, MI

• Paddle the Calumet River, IN

• Paddle Cache River, IL

• Visit Pictured Rocks, MI

• Visit Split Rock Lighthouse in Two Harbors, MN

• Visit Kitch-iti-kipi freshwater spring, MI

• Visit Soo Locks in Sault Ste Marie, MI

• Visit the center of the Northwest Hemisphere, WI

• Visit Canyon Falls, MI (aka the Grand Canyon of Michigan)

• Visit Bell Smith Springs, IL

Portland Arch, IN

EXPERIENCES

• See the Northern Lights

• Explore the causeways of Wolf Lake by kayak, IN

• Paddle to a Great Lakes lighthouse

• Paddle to a wild island

• Visit an island on an island

• Paddle and camp in the Boundary Waters

• Visit all the historic lighthouses around Lake Michigan

• Go dogsledding in Northern Wisconsin

• Cross an Ice Bridge in the Great Lakes

• Go guerrilla camping

• Go kayak camping

• Go backcountry camping in a State Forest

• Camp in a hammock

• Wild camp on an island on the great lakes

• Go on a self-supported, car-free overnight camping trip with folding bike

• Go on a solo bike camping trip

• Go bikepacking on a remote island

• Go bikapacking on the North Country Trail

• Go on a multi-day bikepacking trip

• Bike the Grand Illinois Trail

• Bike the Keweenaw Peninsula

• Bike the Door County Peninsula

• Bike from Lake Michigan to Lake Superior through the UP

• Bike from Lake Michigan to Lake Huron

• Bike the US portion of Lake Superior coastline

• Bikepacking & canoeing in the Boundary Waters

• Bike the perimeter of Lake Michigan

• Sleep in a tent in winter

• Camp in a tent in winter

• Go on a cross-country ski overnight camping trip

• Hike through a tall grass prairie

• Hike on the Ice Age Trail

• Hike Chicago Outerbelt Trail

• Explore a Great Lakes Shipwreck site

• Visit a copper mine in the UP

• Visit a Midwestern cave

• Visit a quaking bog

• See a great animal migration

• Stargaze in a dark sky area

• Paddle among cypress trees

• See a wolf in the wild

• See elk in the wild

• See a moose in the wild

• Restore a piece of land to a natural state

• Drink from a natural spring

• Visit a virgin forest

• Take the high speed ferry across Lake Michigan

• Cook freshly caught trout over open fire on the shores of Lake Superior

• Travel on a houseboat

• Travel in an RV

Paddling on the Cache River among cypress tree “knees”.

PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENTS

• Start and run a business

• Start an run an email newsletter

• Teach myself to swim

• Write a definitive guide on regional explorations

• Write a book on local adventures

• Publish a book

• Earn money from writing

• Earn money from something I really enjoy doing

• Grow an edible landscape

• Create a living space that takes advantage of the natural setting

• Live a movement centered life

• Create an adventure outfitter/retreat center

• Read a local adventure/destination book every month

• Experience one of the items on this list each month

• Be out in nature 5 days out of the week

• Maintain a level of fitness that will allow me to explore natural spaces into my 90's

• Spend 4-6 weeks a year on an island in the Great Lakes

• Arrange my life so I can go for at least a week without internet

• Arrange my life so I am not tied to a schedule

I have a long way to go, Fellow Travelers. As you can see, only a handful of the things I’m aiming for have already been completed. These Midewestern wonders could keep me busy for a long, long time.

But if I actually prioritize those things that I want over the things that I must do, I could be looking at the best time of my life.

You could too.

—Justyna

PS. If you want to meet the global adventurer mentioned above, don’t miss our Chicago Skyline Ride with Matt Galat followed by pizza at the shop on Friday, July 11. Recumbent bikes are the theme, but all are welcome.

And, calling all Brompton riders, we’ve shifted our Brommie rides to Saturdays, so hopefully more of you can join us. The next one will be a ride to Alarmist Brewery via Milwaukee Ave and the North Branch Trail on July 19. Again, all types of bikes are welcome.

See you soon!