PPine

I think that many times people who TALK about mental toughness seem to equate backpacking with some kind of survival exercise. And frankly, most of our backpacking trips are a long way from that. I plan and execute my trips to AVOID the necessity for mental toughness--because I am on vacation, and I want to have fun. And I want the people who are with me to have fun, too.

Should the manure hit the ventilator, I am reasonably sure that I will respond with maturity and focus...I can point to any number os situations where that has happenedm, and that's a good thing.

But really, I use mental toughness a LOT more in my daily life running my own business than I do out on the trail in the Sierra. When I am backpacking the variables are far fewer, the surprises rarely negative, and the experience is one of joy, rather than survival.