As we all know April showers (some of the April showers, though, do come in March) bring May flowers. The focus is usually on the object of that sentence, not the actual subject. Oh how easily we overlook the actual subjects of what we say. This was my fatal mistake.

It was late March and I found myself barely able to climb up out of bed. For, as all us tentlifer’s know, we climb up out of bed, not step down, as our beds are on the ground. My head was seemingly in a vise, as the cruel torturer continued to crank it down tighter and tighter. I was freezing, and sweating, my temperature was in the triple digits, and after being this way for two days… I succumbed to the pressure: it was time to humble myself and go crash at a friend’s house to recover from my illness.

For the next three days I rolled around, sniffed, coughed, ached, and slept myself well. My clouded mind, however, failed to fully grasp what was happening outside the safe walls of my buddy’s house. Three days of incessant rain had been pounding southwest Missouri. Rain it was, but I need you to fully understand me here. Imagine one of the heaviest rains you’ve ever seen, and have it last for a full 72 hours. Somehow it kept on.

Upon my recovery a thought came rushing over me, rushing over me so strongly that I actually felt it, in the depths of my soul: “Oh shit… MY TENT!” For your reference: everything I owned was literally in my tent. And the location of my tent, on a nice dry day, was only 75 feet from the banks of the lake, and maybe 4 feet above it. The overwhelmingly formidable thought of everything but my truck and the clothes on my body made me almost wet myself, which of course would have only compounded the problem of obtrusive liquids.

My friend Brad Ray and I decided to go see what the damage was to my belongings. As we arrived at the peninsula at 11:30p.m. I was horrified when the headlights revealed to me that my beloved peninsula no longer existed. It had become an island. Most certainly my belongings had succumbed to the flood. We found a small sailboat and two paddles and began making our way out to the island. The sheer amount of water that seemingly converged upon my life was incredible.

As we neared the island my angst turned to joy when I noticed that, there stood my tent, full of all it’s Ozark Trails’ glory, was unscathed by the past storm and current flood. Nothing I owned had incurred any significant damage.

So naturally, realizing everything was fine, Brad and I decided to head to bed, in the tent, on the island.

But remember this important fact: when the floods come, the vermin move to high ground, and subsequently think a tent is a nice place to dwell…
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Contributor Jarod Sickler is an avid rock climber as well as stone cold philosopher – seriously, he’s doing graduate work right now in SoCal. He did TentLife in Branson, MO and Durango, CO for 15 months (or so).

Mark is not only a vagabond thinker but also older brother to Skot Montgomery (TentLife in Alabama & Tennessee), this free spirit must run in the family… and I’m now wondering if their parents were hippie transplant’s from California.

Anyway, I met Mark this past summer and had an instant affinity to his humor and general laid back demeanor. But what most impressed me was his philosophy on teaching (ask him about his “1555″ tattoo) and life in general. This past year he took an indefinite leave of absence from teaching history to high schooler’s to work out at Camp Kivu in Durango, Colorado… probably because his brother Skot kept telling him it was the best place on earth (besides Mitchell, South Dakota home of the Corn Palace). Mark aka “Montagonia” will be adding his thoughts and share his story in the coming months.

I am looking forward to what TentLife will provoke in him, as he ventures out into the wild with a tent and an open mind!

“Two things: Blue Man Group and Walden Pond.”

Even though our trip was short, we made time for both those things. We stopped by Walden right before we headed off the airport. I had heard visitors can swim in the pond so we brought our bathing suits. I was so excited. We parked near the back of a little parking lot and made our way down the trail.

Finally, the trees broke at a small siesta and we could see the pond! I was so stoked. It was pristine, still and covered with lily pads. We continued around the pond on an over-grown trail until we came up on some houses. Needless to say, I was pretty ticked. Who would have the audacity to build a neighborhood on pond that represents solitude and reflection?

Come to find out, we were walking around the wrong pond. FAIL.

Eventually, we made it to the real Walden and it was awesome! The water was crystal clear, there were people swimming in it, and there was very tranquil walking path around the whole thing. We walked a short distance back to the site where HDT’s cabin used to be. All that is left is the foundation. Near the entrance of the park, however, there is an exact replica HDT’s cabin and some informational placards.

I was struck by the fact that Walden pond is not very far from civilization. Granted, when HDT was there, the area was probably much less developed but that doesn’t change the fact that civilization was accessible. This is significant. We don’t have to seek out an incredibly remote, wilderness location to experience solitude and contemplation.

My tent was about a quarter mile from civilization but that didn’t effect my experience. In fact, I was a full-time student and working 40+ hours a week, yet at no time did I feel as though I wasn’t experiencing the contemplative lifestyle that Tentlife provides. At it’s core, Tentlife is a change of scenery. It’s a drastic shift from the norm that forces vulnerability and unexpectedness. At the very core of HDT’s Walden experience was this very same shift.

Simply exploring a new lifestyle can and will accomplish wildly amazing and unexpected things in one’s life

Get a tent. Live in it.

-Hoag-

Life is not about seeking perfection, succeeding in everything, living normal, because where is the excitement in all that. Stop talking to old people about the weather, or asking someone what their major is and where they are from, lets be “honest green jacket gold jacket…” (if your confused watch happy Gilmore). Next time you’re in that situation, stare that person in the eyes, look into their soul and tell them what you’re really thinking. Be real, be honest, make them remember that conversation, and let it be an inspiration for change. Go mountain biking in the rain, take the doors off your truck, do whatever it takes to make you smile about the simple things. That is contentment. That is joy. Find God in everything you do, and I promise your life will be changed.

one love,

skot
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Contributor Skot Montgomery lived in a tent for 12 months in Alabama and Tennessee. wc97p62fdq

If anyone has anything they want to know more about, please comment on this post with you questions, comments, and topic suggestions! Otherwise, enjoy today and we’ll see ya back here on Wednesday!

Compared to what I spend on life now, using the word ‘cheap’ to describe tentlife is an understatement.

There were many factors that led me to move into a tent. I wanted simplicity. I wanted peace. I wanted solitude. Interestingly, I got all of those things plus a few added bonuses. Before I moved into the tent I wasn’t exactly breaking the bank but I wasn’t hurting to pay the bills either. Two, and sometimes three, jobs provided enough cash flow to rent an apartment in Valdosta, GA…the cheapest place to live on planet earth. So, the cheapness of tentlife was icing on the cake. Speaking of ice, I bought an engagement ring in the middle of my tenlife experience and I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have been able to afford what I bought had I not been living off of pennies as day.

Tentlife forced me to save money before I even moved into the tent. At the end of my junior year of college I realized that I had an apartment full of crap that wasn’t ever going to fit into my tent and that my parents most definitely didn’t want in their house. So I sold it. All of it. Now, I didn’t pocket the money. I actually gave most of the cash to a missions organization that sends college students over seas. However, you can imagine how much I would have pocketed if I had kept the money from everything I sold. Yard sales can be more profitable than one might imagine.

Now, it’s obvious that tentlife saves it’s residents money on the the basics like rent and utilities. What may not be obvious to many people is that tentlife can save you money on food, gas, insurance, clothes and many other things. Why is this? Because living in a tent makes you think differently. You don’t want to wake up in the morning, hop in your car, swing by McDonald’s for breakfast, and head off to class. No, tentlife makes you want to rise with the sun, cook some Cream of Wheat over a fire, write in detail about the storm that came through the night before, hop on your bike, and take the long way to class. Tent dwellers are in a fantastic mental position to get rid of their car, thus eliminating gas, insurance and maintenance payments. They are in a position to quit eating expensive, horrifyingly unhealthy fast food, and pay a dime for some hot cereal instead. Keep that lifestyle up for six months to a year and see that you’re bank account looks like then. I can promise there will be some significant changes.

Tenlife requires creativity. It forces it’s residents into an agrarian frame of mind. Tent dwellers thus refuse to pay for that which they can accomplish on their own. When a pole breaks on the tent, the tent dweller fashions a splint for the fracture. When a tent dweller find a rip in his or her pants there is no need for a trip to the store for new pants because the old needle and thread come to the rescue. When the derailleur on the two wheeler comes loose the tent dweller doesn’t bat an eye. Instead, he or she finds the tool box and gets to work. Paying for stuff is a last resort, a last ditch effort only when the tent dweller is in a terrible pickle.

Bottom line: Tentlife redefines cheap.

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background…
From January to June 2009 I made my permanent residence in tentlife. This adventure began because of a huge event that happened in my life, engagement. The details will be left out, sorry ladies, because of the harassment that I would get from all my boys. Anyway, when I starting thinking about my future life with my soon to be wife, I began to become very overwhelmed at the thought of the responsibility of being a husband/head of the household/leader. When I looked at my life the biggest thing that kept me from having time to pray, meditate, and just enjoy my surroundings were all the distractions I had in my life. From my friends, to the electronics, to the drama of life, there had to be a change, I needed something different. So today, as I sit here merely 5 days before my wedding, this is what I have learned:

preparation…
I got kicked out of my first home by campus police because living in the woods in Alabama is equivalent to murder.

re preparation…
I found a new spot and from there, began to set up my casa. My new location was in a bamboo grove, which I will get to later, so I starting by clearing out an area. After the area was clear I built a platform using pallets and plywood which kept my tent off the ground from the rain. In the tent was a twin size mattress, a rug, 2 LED lanterns, a chair, and a book shelf where I kept my clothes, my jet boil, and my books (all a must have). And from there I began to live.

contentment…
If I could describe my experience in tentlife it would definitely be: different (so different that it even overwhelmed my craziest expectations). Obviously going from a house with a TV, computer, electricity, running water, refrigeration to a giant ziplock baggie is very different, but that isn’t what made the experience so amazing, it was the people. If found that my different lifestyle not only allowed me to discover so many things about myself, life, and bamboo, but it also allowed me the blessing of time. In that time I discovered so many conversations that led to ideas, convictions, laughs, and much change. People flocked to the different lifestyle with questions, concerns, and just wanting to know why… Which allowed me an opportunity to shed some light to an overcomplicated world. I also realized how long a day truly is. With out wasting so much time being useless I suddenly had so much time to pray, read, seek, build things, capture moments, and invite people over for some fresh pressed coffee and good talks. Overall my experience can be summed up by the bamboo that became my neighbor. If you ever take time to watch bamboo grow, it is one of the most amazing things you will ever see. I would see 3-4 inches of growth over the span of one day. This growth became symbolic of my own life because when I finally stopped to watch things grow, I began to grow. When I looked for God, I saw him in everything. And when I decided to be different, I saw things in a different way a realized that I am here to love. And to know and live a life of love is the essence of simplicity.

Now as I am literally counting down the days to my marriage, and have upgraded my tent to a house, I cant wait to love and laugh and watch our lives grow.

things to know…
…Alabama is hot
…Ants suck
…Peanut butter and honey is glorious

Now, grow a beard, pick up a copy of Walden, and go live in the woods.

I realize in my last post I didn’t mention any constants and I confess it was purposeful. My “constants” for the tentlife I am living are different by degrees from Sam’s tentlife outside of a tent, a flat place and food. So the what should be consistent is somewhat inconsistent when comparing apples and oranges, but apples to apples everything is the same. My constants are my needs. Backpack, boots, sleeping bag, thermarest, tent (of course) and a few other items that I don’t “need” but they are consistently in my pack and fit the bill as a constant.

Variables in the tentlife are where life truly is lived. It is in the moments of surprise and terror and joy and hate that I find myself really immersed in the tentlife. A few variables that are easy to identify (thankfully) are the weather, the campsite, the views, and for me right now, the group dynamic of the kids on my trip. I can have “ideas” of how all these variables will play out, but to know for certainty… I might as well drink river water and hope not to make friends with Giardia.

There are also variables that I know about, but still have no clue what that means for the tentlife. The best example is the Marmot , or Satan as we refer to these little rodents on trip. There are no guarantees as to whether this demon rodent will eat its way into the tent and then devour $400 worth of gear, or if it will just try to eat a curried rice bombshell, decide it doesn’t life curried rice but it still likes almonds. When I see this obnoxious land beaver bouncing though the woods I can only wonder if his tiny little brain is pondering “I’ve found my next meal… and it is a tent, a camera, a spoon and a pound of butter!”

Even though everyone is familiar with the variability of the weather, it is much worse in the backcountry, due to there being little escape from the elements. When the rain/snow/hail and everything in between falls on us when hiking from point A to B, c’est la vie we walk in the rain. Inside the tent is almost worse but for the fact that I am still dry and warm. When in the tent there is nothing to do but what I brought, and I can only take so many pictures inside a tent before that loses any and all time-passing powers. I could brush my teeth, sleep, or write and that is about all I can do in bad weather.

After mentioning two downers of the variables in my tentlife, I feel it is necessary to share the most incredible and my favorite variable of all when living the packlife/tentlife. Unlike Sam, where I place my tent changes most every night when I am on trip. This variance provides for truly stunning views and moments that steal any hope of breathing with my lungs.  Through out the summer my tent will be in many places, and I feel incredibly blessed that most of the time the views are like this.

While Sam and I do tentlife different, a few things remain the same for us. It is in the variables that make up the experience of a tentlife, and ultimately make the experience worth every incredible minute and worth every second of suffering.