Spring Overland Prep

Spring overlanding is a gift until the rain won’t stop and the bugs wake up angry. I’m back with a practical, field-tested reset for late April into May: how I maintain my camping gear so it lasts, how I waterproof and protect it from UV, and how I keep ticks, chiggers, and mosquitoes from turning a weekend outside into a week of regret. If you’ve ever packed up a damp tent, dealt with that sour mildew smell, or watched your “waterproof” jacket wet out, this is the kind of maintenance talk that actually saves trips. 

I walk through the products and process I rely on, including Nikwax for washing and reproofing outdoor gear, then a bug plan that works in the real world. For fabrics and gear, I like Sawyer permethrin applied to the outside of clothing, boots, and even the exterior of tents and awnings. For skin, I use Ben’s Adventure Formula with picaridin, plus the boring-but-critical stuff: daily tick checks and paying attention to what bites can mean, including concerns like Alpha-gal in tick-heavy areas. 

Then I pivot to what might matter even more than gear: pace. Too many people rush to “get to camp” and miss the towns, the roadside stops, the local food, and the weird little discoveries that make travel memorable. I share why I travel slow, why I often go alone, and how patience helps when things go sideways like getting stuck after dark. Stress doesn’t fix a vehicle, it doesn’t change the weather, and it doesn’t make the trip better. 

If this resonates, subscribe for more overlanding mindset and practical camping tips, share the episode with a friend who always rushes the drive, and leave a review on Apple or Spotify so more people can find the show.

Transcript

Welcome Back And Spring Reset

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Hey guys, welcome to Outskirts Overland. It's Charlie. Um, it's been a couple weeks, maybe a month. I don't even know. Um yeah, so hey, it's nice to uh get back on here and talk to you guys. I have I mean, I've got some ideas for today. I've had an idea to record a couple different times now, and I just haven't. So here we are. Um It is the middle, middle, incorrect. It is the end of April, coming upon the end of April. So that's uh it's definitely probably been a month. So, anyways, guys, happy to be here. Like I said, um got rid of all the algorithms and everything, don't need to touch on that anymore. And so only when I feel inspired and that I have enough stuff to talk about will I hop on and talk about it. So, as everybody knows, it's spring, it's raining, it's crazy. Ticks are already in full force, mosquitoes are in full force, chiggers, the whole nine yards. So, and rain. So, I mean, more of a more of a maintenance mindset today. I mean, obviously, I'll get into a little bit of just myself as I always do, but a couple things to just kick kick off with right out the gate are uh are you know bug preventatives for you, bug preventatives for your clothes, as well as preventing, you know, water waterproofing your gear, bug proofing your gear, making sure the sun's not wearing your stuff out. All these things are critical and extremely important right now. So I guess I'll start. I guess what well, what I'll start with, because I always talk about it, and I just went on a camping trip. I'm walking around my house, so if you see hear like it echo a little different, I'm going room to room, looking for specifically looking for my bug spray that I just bought. I use it on the kids, though, so I'm sure it's out here. There it is. Hey, but first thing I want to talk about, not my bug spray that I'm searching for everywhere, is my nick wax. Um, I've had Nickwax on the show before with the loss of so many podcasts. I don't know if Nickwax is that episode still there. Great people, great product. They make a two-part system for your tent and your gear. They make all kinds of different washes for different things. Um, and I would recommend right now to get the solar wash and the solar proof. The solar proof is UV protecting, but it's also waterproofer, and the wash is just how you wash your stuff. Um, I'd use that on your tents, your packs, your any of your outdoor gear. They have a tech wash, which is what I use to retreat my rain jackets or any waterproof stuff like that. They have a tech wash, and then you will wash it with the tech wash. Then they got a they got a waterproof or wash-in waterproof or you'll do them separately, two separate washes, and then I always let it air dry. It's spring, so that's not too hard. I have a clothesline because I'm that guy. I'm the guy that I'm the kind of guy that has a clothesline. So that being said, um, use your knicwax stuff, treat your gear, take care of your gear. This stuff is not cheap, it's definitely not getting cheaper. I haven't been in the market to buy anything really recently. But just based off the things I am buying, like any normal person, groceries, gas, even my utilities, you know, everything is a little bit more expensive than it once was. And by once was, I mean three months ago. It's even more expensive right now. So make sure you're paying attention, take care of your gear, taking care of your gear, airing it out, don't letting it get mold and mildew, you know, vacuuming it out. Then I'm gonna get into bugs, okay? So treat your stuff, get it washed, using your nickwax stuff. I and I don't get paid by nick wax, okay, guys. I've been using this stuff for legitimately 20 years now, and I don't even remember how it was introduced to me. It's 20 years ago. I don't remember 20 minutes ago, a lot of times. And uh, but it was introduced to me when I was in the backpacking community and camping community earlier on in my adult life, and I have used it. Um I would say religiously, but it's so dang good you don't even have to use it religiously. I mean, I used it probably annually for the past 20 years, so it's great stuff. They make stuff for your boots and your shoes. If you don't have waterproof boots or shoes, or you have waterproof boots or shoes that are no longer waterproof, you can rejuvenate them with a product they have. Go through their full line. I mean, go to nickwax.com or nick or google nickwax. I don't even know if it's nickwax.com. They got every they got something for everything. It all works really, really, really well. No forever chemicals. So if you're kind of hippity-dippity like I am, um, you don't have to worry about that either. If it got on your skin a little, it's not gonna mess you up so bad. Nothing crazy there. And it and it works, you know, unlike a lot of natural or less toxic products. So next thing I'm gonna dip into is bugs, okay? These ticks, these chiggers. I went out camping, I guess it was two weekends ago now, with a couple people. We went down to the Ozarks, um and I got some ticks, I got some chiggers. I used some natural stuff, but I mean, I'm better than that, guys. Like, this is something I'm usually prepared for. So the first thing I'm gonna bring up is um Sawyer. Sawyer is the brand, S-A-W-Y-E-R, Sawyer. It's insect repellent. What it is is it's permethrin. Okay, permethrin is something that I've become very uh familiar with from my time in the military. And yeah, I mean, you want to spray your clothes with permethrin, boots, shoes, shirts, pants, spray it and let it dry. Um, it does last through multiple washes. Um, I've got the can in front of me. Let me see how long it even lasts. Um, shake well, blah, blah, blah. We all know this. Spray on. Don't you don't really want to get directly on your skin. But I mean, mosquito nettings, tents, sleeping bags, backpacks, any of that stuff. Don't treat it on the inside of them. You don't want it's not something you want directly on your skin. So if you're treating your shirts, do the exterior of the shirt, not the interior of the shirt. If you're doing, you know, your boots or your shoes, do the outside of them, not the inside of them, pants, same thing. Um, it's something we used in the in the military, though. If you're a ground tent person, treat your freak in the outside of your tent. This will change your life dramatically. But it kills um chiggers, ticks, and mosquitoes. Um, I'm I'm almost positive it lasts through like four washes, and I've used it, it's another thing that's kind of like an annual thing for me. But I do my camping clothes and shoes pretty, pretty uh religiously. I do have another product that I recommend for your skin. It is not, I said I'm hippity-dippity. Um, neither of these two things are all natural, like bio derivatives. They're chemicals, they work great, but they are what they are. So permethrin, soyer permethrin. It says odorless permethrin on it, but more more largely on the bottle, it says premium insect repellent. You want to use that on a I've used it on my rooftop tent because you know, even if I drug something in, for instance, I don't want the ticks and the spiders and all the crap crawling all over my stuff. So I do treat my tent with it, I do treat my awning with it, my ground mats, all those things. Like I said, you know, pants, shirts, shorts. Just don't do your underwear, anything that's going to be like right on your skin, you know. Don't do the inside of your pant legs, you know, the outside. Let it dry. Um, like I said, it lasts through washes, does great. It's good for four outfits, and an outfit is uh pants, shirt, and shoes. So it does four outfits out of one spray can here. I've used the like liquid spray too, and like a pump sprayer works good too. I mean, I've had no issues with any of it. That's why I have it on hand. Permethrin, use it. The military uses it. All military camouflage utility uh, I don't know. When I was in the Marine Corps, we call them camis, but like camouflage utility uniforms, they're pre-treated with it. And uh, you know, hygiene's a huge thing, and a big part of hygiene is wounds, infections, sickness, you know, preventing those things. And nothing's worse than bites and triggers and scratching, and then it's open and the field's dirty and you're infected. Those same exact principles still occur to your normal person camping as they do in the military. I mean, we're humans, same humans that are in the military. Um, the second thing that I have that I have always used, and it's sweat resistant, man. It's Ben's Ben's brand, B-E-N apostrophe S. Ben, like your friend Ben. It's Ben's adventure formula, tick and insect repellent. It won't damage uh gear clothing. So its main ingredient is uh Picardin. It's similar, permethrin, like you got a chemical involved here. It's picar picaridin. It uh it is safe for using on your body. Um DEET will so just so you guys know, DEET, heavy amounts of DEET specifically can damage like fabrics. So this stuff you could put on while you have gear on, and it's not gonna damage your gear. Where like heavier DEET formulations could mess with your synthetic fabrics, like like um like weaken them or discoloration or things of that nature. So if you've ever used like heavy DEET on your body and like rubbed a backpack strap or something, and you've noticed that it looks like it almost like has like a bleaching effect of types, that's real. DEET does that. Um, I've never had a problem with DEET like ruining any gear, but I'm also not like uh going to the fashion show on my gear. So if it gets a little jacked up looking, I tend to prefer it that way, anyways. Now, this bends, you can get it in like a liquid spray. I have the aerosol. Um, it's all day protection, you know, from ticks and mosquitoes, it's 12-hour formula, and it's an aerosol. It's what I use. I use it on my kids, I use it on me. Um, I mean, you can spray it on your dog if you want, if that's what your jam is. I mean, I use uh frontline on old Marf here, who's laying here. Uh he's had quite a few ticks too. It's like way early for this, but just probably foreshadowing for how terrible it's gonna be come uh come like actual summer. So be be just things to be doing. Make sure you got tick spray with you. A good one. I've used natural ones, and I'm being real honest with you guys. Benz is the one. Okay, like I've been doing this outdoor thing, military thing. Um, I was in the infantry, lots of time in the field, lots and lots and lots of time in the field. Benz has been around forever. I used to use Benz 100. Um, that's heavy and DEET, and it's a like a pump spray bottle because you don't want to carry these aerosols out in the field in the military specifically, because you like poke a hole in them or something. And uh so I I use the Benz 100, great product, heavy on DEET. Um, you know, I'm not gonna say it's the healthiest for you, but especially right now with Alpha Gal being as prevalent as it is, I, you know, I can still eat meat, you know, red meat and have DEET and have used DEET. Alpha Gal is something that you get from ticks that kind of really kind of jacks you up its autoimmune condition. Not something I'm interested in having. So I do take bug, like I do take that pretty seriously because my lifestyle is already hindered enough with everything else I got going on with my body that I don't need uh I don't need to add to it. Again, I'm not saying that the long-term effects of the products I'm using might not might not exist, but the immediate effects of alcohol alpha gal are pretty uh pretty severe and pretty instant. So just be aware of like like what you know, weigh your odds here, like what you want to do. But it's not as easy as like, oh, I got a mosquito bite and I'm fine and or use DEET. Or, you know, it but it's also not I got malaria or use DEET, or I got alpha gal and use DEET, but like those are things that exist. Do I think I mean those aren't things that are prevalent today in the United States, but depending on where you're listening from, people listen from all over the place. Um, and to be real honest, Benz might not be available overseas, it might not be available outside the United States, much less North America, permethrin the same. But with the beautiful uh thing that we all now have called Google and Chat GPT, you could at least ask for similar products that are available near you due to your government regulations or um local regulations. So I use Benz, Aerosol, it's got Picaridin in it, I think is how you say it. Picaridin, that's how I say it. I mean, that's how I say it, and permethrin um on my clothes. That has turned out to work for me very well. I have never used them on my socks or my underwear or anything along those lines, and I have no issues spraying my body with bends. So that's a two-part system, you know, using your one on your clothes, using one on your body. And then also just doing daily checks, you know, and good hygiene, making sure because they always are going for the moist areas, and whether you're a boy or a girl, that's not where you want ticks to be. So ticks, ticks or mosquitoes or triggers or whatever. And I don't ever like seeing them in my tent, so I do treat my tent with um permethrin. It's never discolored any of my tents or anything. I do, you know, I mentioned earlier using nick wax, using an insect repellent is something to do after you've used your nick wax. So wash it, waterproof it, let it dry a day fully, then your permethrin, and it'll dry quick. I've I mean a lot of times when I've done my tent, I'll do like a section, and by the time I'm like to the end of that section to start another one, it's already started drying on the previous one. So it's quick to dry, it's effective. Um, like I said, and the military uses it, and not that I think that's the end-all be-all of all things, but it works, okay? Like, I'm not here to be like, Mr. Do this natural essential oil thing, and then here's my link to young living oils or whatever. Like, I'm not here to BS you guys. Like, this shit works. Um, I'm not all bit up, my kids aren't all jacked up, you know. I don't want all the scars on their little skin either, from you know, spending the day scratching their freaking eyeballs out with all these bites and stuff. I haven't noticed any negative effects out of all my years of using it. And uh pay attention, you know, just regular hygiene stuff. So, anyways, that's my uh, you know, probably longer than 10 minute spiel, actually, about 15 minute spiel on maintaining your stuff, maintaining your body to freaking, it's raining like crazy. Molding mildew, you want to make sure you're getting ahead of it. If you're putting your stuff away, if you're putting your stuff away wet, getting it out and drying it, make sure you're using waterproof or that'll help it dry faster and it'll work better. It'll it'll keep the water from like soaking into it as much. Bug stuff, take care of yourself, you know, etc. etc. etc. So, anyways, on to maybe what you guys are here for. Maybe that's what you're here for. Charlie's advice or Charlie's experiences, it depends. But, anyways, went camping, had a great time. Uh went uh and had pizza at Jasper Pizza. That was fantastic. The guys I was with, you know, so the guys I was with, I don't ever talk about the people I was with or the places I went, you know, I went to Jasper Pizza. Hey guys, go there. That doesn't mean I'm gonna tell you where we camped. Um, it was great. I had a meatball sub, not a pizza. I have had pizza there before. Um, I actually ate some of their leftover pizza, so I guess I could talk about it, you know, in this specific instance. Pizza's great. I had a meatball sub, also great. Everybody there's super nice, it's not extremely expensive. But the point, the bigger point I want to get at, we went to, I'm with two other individuals, males, and I was they were talking about how they've never gone down to Jasper and like walked around. Guys, guys, guys, guys, guys, guys, guys. This isn't about Jasper, okay? This isn't about Jasper, Arkansas. This is about anywhere and always, okay. Within the hobby of overlanding, I find so many people rushing to get to camp, like in a mad freaking dash, okay. I've said this in earlier podcasts, and you know, luckily a lot of those are gone, so it's not like I'm a broken record, kind of sort of. So this is new to some of you. Travel slow, people. Like, don't miss something else. You're going camping, you're going over landing, okay? The trails are awesome, the nature's awesome, but all these little small towns, antique shops, thrift stores, local businesses, you know, whatever they might be, if you see something that catches your eye, don't be in a position where you're so strapped you can't enjoy the whole thing. The adventure isn't just off the pavement. Like, there's adventures to be had, guys. I almost always find a you know, if there's a food truck, I'll stop, you know. Do some of them suck? I'll be real honest. No, it never sucks. Um, I've never had you know, I have maybe and maybe I have looser expectations. I always just try to enjoy the whole trip. I try to stop at unique gas stations or stores on the side of the road, or you know, little mom and pop places that I can't go to all the time. You know, and and what I mean by that is I'm not stopping at your like national brands of places. Uh so you know, insert whatever you think there, but like if there's like a small burger place or barbecue place, or I try to stop at those places. If I'm driving and I got a long drive, I am never in a hurry. I use the term when I was going to these guys, they're like, Oh, I left early. Like I had every ability to have been to camp at noon, okay. Um, but I left and then they were like, Oh, when are you getting there? etc. And I was like, I'll probably be the last one there because I'm lollygagging. You know, I'm just screwing around because I mean I'm out exploring, and in order to explore more than just the outdoors, I want to see what's there, what's out there. I take different roads, uh, just like I map trails and everything else. I map alternate ways to get places, like, oh, I've never taken this road. And that'll usually lead me to find like some weird stuff sometimes. And I say weird, different, unique, interesting. Insert your word, right? Like, but I like doing that, and that's part of the travel. And again, I'm not necessarily everyone's peer in that this is a new thing to me. Um, I've been over, I hate, I I guess it just is what it is. I've been overlanding, I've been traveling, you know, not internationally, but nationally within the United States, both coasts, all over the place for 20 years now. Um, and again, just like just like Nick Wax, like I've been using it 20 years, you know. 20 years seems like that's just his standard. But I really start, I was 18 20 years ago. So, you know, 20 years ago was really when I became an adult and started traveling and doing everything. Um, because prior to that I was in high school. So 20 years ago, it just actually is the time frame in which I've been an adult. So for 20 years. And I've been doing this the whole time because I enjoy the road trip. I enjoy the travel. I enjoy the outdoors, I enjoy the camping, I enjoy the boredom, I enjoy it all. Okay. I've overlanded to a point and hiked, backpacked, bike camped. I've overlanded solely, you know. Naturally, those of you that are listening now know I have the truck and I do it out of the vehicle primarily, et cetera, and I have for the last many years. Um, but I've done it, you know, all variations of car-based travel, outdoor sleeping arrangement of some type. But I always stop at like the little climbing store or outdoor shop or coffee shop or whatever. I always stop. And those of you that know me personally, I'm actually not the most social person ever, but I try to be social in those environments with locals because I just find that so interesting. Um, whether it's like a philosophy piece about me or whatever, but these aren't my local people. I like to see what you know, hear their their dialect, you know, how they talk and things like that. It's interesting to me. It's part of the experience, not just the gravel off-road, you know, lakes, rivers, mountains, etc. I like to see if the people are like, what's the populace like? Just kind of, I mean, I also want to experience it to some extent. Uh so I I do that. But my point is, is those guys were like been through Jasper, I know both of them many times. And by many, I mean more than five. You know, probably both ways. So more than 10 times they've passed through, at least, never stopped. And I'm like, guys, what are you like, again, I'm not freaking overland, you know, whatever, but like guys enjoy it a little more than that. Like the way they said it made me think that maybe they would want to. I do enjoy the outdoors, but stop in these little towns. And you know, sometimes I stop in little towns, and uh, if it's got service, you know, I'll search the town and see if there's any, you know, historical significance to the town, too. Because a lot of times when a town has historical significance, there's some type of historical site or historical museum, store, story, something to learn. And that's something that you can kind of take back with you just yourself. Like, oh, I went through this Civil War town, or I went through this where you know, some battle happened or Indians lived or a famous person lived, or some, you know, significant thing occurred. That's that's on-road or off-road. Like, that's good advice in general, like research where you're going, towns, you know, surrounding areas, and see what you're around. Um, that's also fun. That's how you can start the adventure before you get in the car. That's how you can start the adventure or have like side quests from the initial adventure. And I think that, you know, it just opened my eyes being with these guys, and I don't go with people a lot. I mean, I think those of you that listen, you know I go alone a lot. I try to not be off-putting, but I'm not very um, oh, what do I want to say? I'm not very um, I'm like not into camping with people. I like going alone. I go with Jen, I go with my girlfriend, I go with my kids, but I'm not real into going with people, um, other people. I have like two other people I will like to go with, pretty much that like in any ever any time ever, those two people can go with me, and it's like totally cool. But I say that, and it's not because those people, I mean, those people are awesome people, but they also know me so well, they have an understanding that like I'm kind of socially averse. I'm not like, you know, I don't know, insert any number of mental things you could say, but like I may just sleep in. I may not want to go with you, I may just want to do my own thing, I may not want to talk. Even if you're right there, I might just not want to talk. I might just want to chill out, and I'm and you know, people take things rude that I say because I'm like, hey, I'm just like, I don't really want to talk right now. Like, but it's not I don't want to talk right now, matter anything. Like, I'm cool reading my book, staring at the fire. Like I my friend Tyson will tell ever he tells everybody. I know the dude has seen me sit silent and stare at a fire for four hours at least. Not say a damn word. Not say a word. But you know what? He's also not interrupting me. Like, I'm doing what I want to do. That's what I like to do. Um, and I have those moments where I just want to sit and soak it in. No lights, no nothing, fire, whatever, maybe not, maybe so. There's times I want to go take a nap, or I pretty much sleep my trip away um out in the woods, but I'm out there for me, you know, and I've learned over the the time how to how to enjoy how to enjoy it best myself. And I don't expect that to be how everybody else enjoys it the best. And I would never, ever, ever think that's that to tell somebody else they're doing it wrong by any means, but I just know for me that the way in which I like to do it isn't, doesn't make everyone feel real um wanted there. Um and it's not that that's not how it is, but I do realize that I come off that way. But I also realize that the moment that I start giving to everyone else instead of myself, then I'll start resenting the thing I love the most. So in a philosophical, roundabout, self-reflective way, it's kind of just how I gotta do it. But that also is why I go alone so much because I don't want to take people along and make them feel like it's gonna be like really interactive with me either. And so I don't do Patreon trips or have Patreon in general. Like, I don't want to mislead anyone to think that that's that's something that I'm good at at all in my life. Um, just good at advocating for myself and knowing, you know, what strokes are good for me and that different folks have different strokes, you know. So, but that being said, I think everybody could could benefit from traveling slower, man. Just travel slower. I find myself even sometimes, even when I'm going on a trip six hours away, which is easily done in a day, man. I gotta break it up. I gotta see stuff, you know. Just just powering through. If I gotta come home to go to work or something on the way back, powering through makes sense. Like, right? That's a means to an end for a reason. Like you power through so you can stay out longer, and you just power through so you can get back in time for whatever obligation you have, right? So you could stay out longer so that that like one helps the other occur. But if I'm not on a time frame like that where I'm like strictly need to be at something, event, etc., like going to camp is not a reason to like rush for me. Even if I'm meeting people, like I'm never telling people to wait on me. Like, I'll get there, I'll find you. I am extremely competent in my navigational skills, and I'm so competent being alone too. Like, if I didn't find you, I'll find you tomorrow. And that offends people too. Like, I'll be like, you know what? I stopped here and I just slept there instead. Camp by myself, find the group later. Um, but I'm not trying to make anybody wait on me. I'm not ever doing anything like that. Travel slower, guys. Anyone that you find that's done this a long time does it full time. Um any nomadic individual ever, there patience is a virtue. Moving slow is something to learn. Uh, you know, and there's efficiency in being slow too. Being rushing and anxiety and forgetting things, those things all kind of go hand in hand. So when I say go slower, you know, I always try to have a loose plan, you know, but I don't ever, I am not Mr. like down to the second guy. That is a very quick way for me to be miserable. Um, and I learned to travel slow earlier on. I went with people when I was way younger that were way older than I am, 50s, 60s. Um, and they pretty much were like, dude, like more or less like enjoy it a little more, man. Like quit thinking you're gonna just getting to camps where it's gonna start to be fun, enjoyable, uh, relaxing. Like try and, you know, take the take the steam off of it, you know, as soon as you get in the car. You know, now it started. Now let's relax, you know, not this push, push, push, push, push. Because if you guys get into this hobby for any amount of time longer than a weekend or three days, four days, pushing like that will exhaust you by by five days, six days, seven days. And then you're like, what am I even doing? You know, if you aspire to do this for any longer durations, even a two-week trip, like say you're somebody that wants to get on a two-week trip. I mean, simply just pushing to push gets old fast. Um, in the car, you know, pushing miles, pushing time, getting knocking it, knocking it down. It gets hard. And I have a very curious mind. So I want to explore. I have an exploring, you know, mind. I have a positive attitude, even in bad situations. Um, I was telling the guys this weekend, you know, people are so fearful, or this weekend, the weekend I went camping. I was telling the guys, you know, I've gotten my truck stuck on a trail, stuck by myself, um, in the dark. So I it was just becoming a nuisance to like, I don't, and I'm not saying this is like an everytime thing, but it becomes a nuisance to like shovel things out and get because you can't see, dude. It's dark. I mean, I got lights, I got lights on, lights on lights, but it's not the freaking sun, okay? I have parked it and just been like, you know what, not right now. I'm gonna end up muddier, dirtier, fallen, in a worse mood. I have literally had my truck stuck, popped the freaking tent right there, stuck, and you know, off camber, whatever, just that is where we made it happen for the night until the sun came up. And uh, you know, those are tough things to to put into practice. Sometimes patience is a virtue, you know. Sometimes it is like, now's just not the best time for this. You know, it's gonna piss me off worse. I can't see, I'm stuck, that's frustrating. But in the end of it, like nothing's gonna be. I mean, you're already in the one of the worser cases, you know. Just I just popped the damn tent, pulled the table out, and we call it a night there. Um, you know, just right there on the trail stuck. I have done it many times. Um, and I'd say many to say more than three, and in 20 years, I think that's not insane to say I've done that more than three times. Camped right on the trail. It happens. Things happen. I've had friends whose rigs broke and we parked on the trail, their rig on the trail. We went back in a different rig, and we ended up camping on the trail when we came back with parts for theirs. Things like that happen. Um, so don't be like ashamed, don't think you're doing it wrong. That stuff happens. I mean, there's rules, there's regulations, there's all these things, and then there's reality. Okay. And and you don't, and and I don't say and then there's reality, like in reality, you need to be not following all these rules and regulations. But in reality, you can't you can't always be perfect. I mean, do you want to be camping on the trail? Is that the is that the appropriate etiquette? No. But what are I mean, the if the situation dictates, things have to shift. So just I just put that out there for some people. Like, I feel like I approach this hobby with a stress relief mindset, and so I find some people they find ways to stress out about the hobby. And I really wish there was a way I could like I don't know, like throw calm down dust on people, like it is gonna be okay. Like this is, you know, in the grand scheme of life, in everyone's life included, the forest service, the state, the freaking all of it, like just doing your best is the best you can do. And you gotta be okay with that too. And if you stress out and freak out, and oh, this is gonna happen or that's gonna happen, and blah blah blah, like you probably not gonna stay in the hobby very long. You're probably not gonna enjoy it very much either. Like you gotta just you at some point you gotta you gotta slow it down, all of it. So just think, just think about it, guys. It was the it was the one thing that inspired this the most. I mean, there's ticks, there's rain. Like, yeah, welcome to spring. But like the big thing is like travel slower, try not to stress yourself out about things that you don't need to. Don't stress yourself out about ideas that aren't real, I guess is what I'd say. Don't make reasons to stress yourself out without even knowing if there are reasons to be stressed. And yeah, stuff happens. It does, okay. But again, stressing out doesn't fix a car. Stressing out doesn't roll one back over, stressing out doesn't get you unstuck, doesn't get you there faster, stressing out just stresses you out. Take a deep breath, you know? Or whatever, you know, whatever. Rub your ears, woo-saw, eat a Snickers, yeah, any number of things. But it ain't stressing stress is not making anything any better. I can tell you that. So travel slower, be more patient, and just think about like it's gonna be okay. Like, you know, I think all of us right now could use a lot more of like, it's gonna be okay in general. Again, I'm away from it all of the it's not gonna be okay talk and opinions and discussions, but it's gonna be okay, guys. Like, and and if it turns out to not be okay, it's not gonna be okay for everybody. Like, we're all in it together. It's just it's just all you know, it's um, you know, it's gonna work out how it works out. You know, you're gonna we're gonna be here until we're not. So think about it, guys. That's what I got for today. Um, you know, hopefully you give it a listen. Hopefully you enjoy it. And uh, you know, leave me a comment, leave me a review, leave whatever you need to do on Apple or Spotify. Um, I'll be putting them out as I put them out. And I appreciate you guys. Have a great weekend here at the toward the end of April and going into May. And I hope you get outside and I hope you decide to do it with a little less stress. Talk to you later.

unknown 36:14

Bye.