Holly Scherer

Find Yourself Outside

  • Blog
    • Find Clarity
    • Better Each Day
    • Financial Freedom
    • Meaningful Connections
    • Feel Great
    • Travel and Adventure
    • Productivity
  • Books & Courses
    • Shine On! Audio Course
    • Resolution Reboot
  • Coaching
    • QUICK START
    • ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNERSHIP
    • TRANSFORMATION STRATEGY
    • PERSONAL FINANCE
    • SCHEDULE YOUR CALL
  • Contribute
  • Resources
  • About
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy

7 Lessons Learned While Living in a Tent for 6 Weeks

By Holly Scherer 8 Comments

Yup, you read that right. I spent close to six weeks living in a tent this past summer. To some of you that might sound like heaven. While others probably think I’m completely crazy. But that’s not important. What’s important are the lessons I learned from this incredible experience.

Hayes Lake State Park, Minnesota
Home Sweet Home! Another stunning Minnesota State Park campsite.

 

Before I jump into the lessons I learned, let me tell you what I was up to and why. Due to a series of events in my husband’s family, I was WAY overdue for an epic vacation. The gypsy in me was starting to get restless and I’ve been getting a bit whiney.

My husband, Jer, has been encouraging me to go somewhere on my own. But I never mustered up the courage. Plus I really love to share my experiences with my spouse. I talk more about that in this post. 

 

 

As I thought about heading out on a solo adventure, I realized that as we’ve been working to get to the next set of life goals, I had neglected to enjoy where I am right now. I talk more about that here.

These two thoughts were all I need to decide to do something I’ve always wanted to do. I decided it was time to visit every state park in Minnesota.

Alone.

In a tent.

I had never camped alone and I felt terrified. But this was the opportunity of a lifetime. I still have more than 20 parks to visit that I’ll finish in 2018. Here’s what I learned so far.

The 7 most important lessons I learned while visiting every state park in Minnesota.
I can’t wait to get back out there and finish getting to know my home state better. It’s been a scary, challenging and rewarding adventure.

 

1 – I need very little to be happy.

Happiness doesn’t come from material possessions. It comes from experiences. Click To Tweet

For me, happiness doesn’t come from material possessions. It comes from experiences.

We all need some basic necessities to be comfortable. And I can fit all of those necessities into the back of my Outback.

Camping every state park in Minnesota.
I could live for a very long time with just these few things.

 

At no point did I miss any of my possessions back at home. My plastic plate and bowl were just as good as fine china. My sleeping pad and bag were just as comfortable as 1000 thread count sheets.

I love the freedom that comes from living with less.

I love the freedom that comes from living with less. Click To Tweet

 

2 – The best things in life are free.

After wrapping up the 2017 portion of my trip, I was telling some friends about the North Shore of Lake Superior. I said, “there’s nothing like finding that perfect spot on the rocky shoreline. Then spending the morning listening to the waves, drinking coffee, and reading a book.”

There is no paid experience that gives me the same feeling I get sitting on the shore of the greatest Great Lake.

The best things in life are free!
Ahhhhh! The good life. Solitude, water, rocks, and a good book.

 

3 – Life is perfect just where you are.

Jer and I love to travel. We’ve had a great time exploring Latin America, Europe, and Hawaii. But other than the North Shore, we never spent much time exploring our own state.

Let me tell you, Minnesota is absolutely stunning. Lakes, rivers, forests, waterfalls, and wildlife around every corner.

Possibly my favorite waterfall in Minnesota at Cascade River State Park, Lutsen, Minnesota
I don’t know about you, but when I think about waterfalls, I don’t think of Minnesota. However, the land of 10,000 lakes has close to 50 waterfalls!

 

Until you are able to see the beauty of where you are right now, you’ll never fully appreciate the beauty you’re chasing. Everything is amazing just where you are. Take time to appreciate and enjoy it.

Until you can see the beauty where you are, you won't appreciate the beauty you’re chasing. Click To Tweet

 

4 – Everything seems more daunting until you start.

I’ve been traveling alone for close to twenty years but I’ve never camped alone. If I’m being honest, the idea scared the crap out of me. I did it anyway and each night I felt more and more comfortable.

The same goes for the activities I did while traveling. Some of the lakes I kayaked seemed huge and overwhelming. But once I finally got on the water and started moving, their size became less overwhelming.

Sunset paddle on Hayes Lake in Roseau, Minnesota
The best things in life are free. Or $25. Renting this kayak for 24 hours so I could enjoy a sunset paddle was worth every penny.

 

All you have to do is find the courage to take the first step.

All you have to do is find the courage to take the first step. Click To Tweet

 

5 – Don’t wait for conditions to be right.

I wish I had an unlimited amount of time to wander from park to park and spend as much time as I wanted at each park. Unfortunately, I’m not in the position to camp indefinitely so I had to stick to a schedule.

During some of my visits, it rained almost the entire time. The deal I made with myself is that I had to do something (hike, bike, kayak) in each park to count it as a visit. This meant that sometimes I had to hike in the rain. And I’m so glad I did.

On one of my hikes, I captured the most beautiful photographs of raindrops on wildflowers. On another, I hiked to the top of a peak that was covered in clouds. Although it was cool, damp, and not great for pictures, hiking through the clouds was an amazing experience.

Raindrops on wildflowers at Maplewood State Park, Pelican Rapids, Minnesota.
One of many reasons to take a hike … in the rain. A beautiful, albeit muddy, experience.

 

6 – Time is a precious gift, don’t waste it.

When I set out on this journey, I fully intended to document my adventure with Facebook live videos. I wanted to share these lessons along the way. My wireless provider had other plans. I was basically off the grid the entire time.

At least once a day I would trek up to the park office and log into their Wi-Fi to check the weather, email, upload workouts to Strava and pictures to Instagram. I stuck to the bare minimum since I was usually sitting outside, sometimes in the rain.

One day after returning from a hiking adventure I took note of when I logged in and logged out. I spent 70 minutes on my phone doing a handful of basic tasks. Then I thought about how many times each day I do that at home when I have a signal. I thought about how much time I was wasting staring at a screen instead of experiencing life.

Sunrise on the shores of Lake Superior at Temperance River State Park, Tofte, Minnesota.
Put down your device and experience life! I took every opportunity I could to watch the sun rise, especially on the Great Lake Superior!

 

Social media is a wonderful way to stay informed and connected, but if we’re not careful, it can consume huge chunks of our time. I turned off the notifications on my phone about five years ago because it was impossible for me to see a new email come in and not check it. More recently I’ve taken it a step further and completely deleted most social media apps from my phone. It’s too easy to pick it up when I have a minute of downtime and get sucked in for an hour.

Life is short. I’m not trying to simply get through it. I’m trying to find joy in each day. And I rarely find joy staring at a screen.

Life is short. I’m don't want to simply get through it. I want to find joy in each day. Click To Tweet

 

7 – When the going gets tough and you want to quit, sleep on it.

Have you ever felt so frustrated you wanted to give up and quit? I feel like that sometimes and I felt like that once during my trip.

I woke up one morning to pouring rain that wasn’t going to stop. I had no choice but to break down my tent in the storm. My plan was to visit one park then stay at another for one night before continuing on to another park for the weekend. I decided it would be better to head to the park I was going to for the weekend so I could dry out for a few days.

That meant that I had to visit 3 parks, get groceries, and spend more than five hours in the car before arriving at my final destination. It was doable but I needed to stick to a schedule. I wrote a schedule that would get me to the park a couple of hours before sunset and give me more than enough time to set up and dry out.

I stuck to that schedule and everything was going great until … Google Maps had me turn one turn too early. I spent close to two hours lost on forest roads. I had no signal so I couldn’t use my GPS and the roads weren’t on the map. On top of that, all the roads seemed to end with No Trespassing signs.

I knew I needed to head west so all I could do was try to follow the setting sun. I eventually pull into the parking area for my walk-in campsite as the sun was setting over the lake. The darkening sky and glare of the sun made it difficult to see and I backed my new car into a tree.

Stunning vistas at Hayes Lake State Park in Roseau, Minnesota
No time to enjoy this beautiful sunset. I still had to haul in and set up camp so I could try to get my tent dry enough to sleep in.

 

I still had to carry everything in and set up my tent to dry out. My tent looked like I pulled it out of a swamp. It was soaking wet and covered in sand and pine needles. I hung up the fly and set up the tent. I then went through the painstaking task of wiping it out over and over again, trying to get it dry enough that I could sleep in it that night.

Once I did all I could do, I went back to my car to get the rest of my stuff. Dinner that night consisted of almonds and a beer in my car. I was so frustrated, I wanted to cry. I thought to myself, I just want to go home. But home was 335 miles and 6 hours away.

I went back to my campsite and sat in the dark, reading and waiting for my tent to be dry enough to sleep in. I eventually fell asleep and woke up to a perfect day. I went for a nice long hike and felt a lot better. Although the previous day was as frustrating as it could get, I’m glad I stuck with it.

 

I can’t wait to get back out there and finish getting to know my home state better. It’s been a scary, challenging, and rewarding adventure.

I hope this inspires you to get out there, step out of your comfort zone, and learn something new.

 

Check out where I’ve been so far on Instagram. Search for the hashtag #hollygoeswild.

 

What lessons have you learned while trying something new?
Share in the comments below.

 

Related

Filed Under: Personal Development, Travel and Adventure Tagged With: Freedom, Growth, Personal Development, Productivity, Solo Travel, State Parks, Taking Action, Transformation, Travel

Get New Posts Via Email

Enter your email and receive notifications for new posts by email. Get more great content by signing up for my weekly email at: bit.ly/hollysnews.

« Build a Foundation to Have the Freedom to Follow Your Dreams – Part VI – Tying it All Together
The Most Important Thing I Learned About Starting Something New »

Comments

  1. AvatarMark Connell says

    October 8, 2017 at 8:41 PM

    Keep on inspiring, Holly! Every adventure begins with a single thought, inspired by a “seed”. In this instance , you are planting the seed. All we have to do is nurture it and anticipate the reaps of the harvest! Thanks for the kick in the pants to get out there and “experience” nature.

  2. AvatarHolly Scherer says

    October 8, 2017 at 8:46 PM

    Awe. Thank you Mark for the kind words. It means a lot. I’m so excited to see you out hitting the parks too! They’re really special places and we are so fortunate to have them in our state.

    Did you know that Minnesota has the second oldest state park system? We are really fortunate to have all of this available to us.

  3. AvatarAnn Musico says

    October 9, 2017 at 9:00 AM

    You are amazing! Camping is definitely not my thing but you make it all look (from the pictures) and sound like the absolute best thing ever! You never fail to inspire and push me! Thanks Holly.

  4. AvatarHolly Scherer says

    October 9, 2017 at 9:06 AM

    Thank you so much, Ann! Camping is the best thing ever. ???? It definitely wasn’t my cup of tea either. But in 2009 I got a wild hair and said , let’s give it a shot. We started with camper cabins and will graduate to backpacking once I finish all the state parks. It’s not for everyone, but the important thing is to remember that if you feel called to try something, give it a go. You never know how it’ll turn out.

    And thanks again for all the kind words. It means a lot. ❤️

  5. AvatarAshley Logsdon says

    October 9, 2017 at 3:49 PM

    I love this – and boy did you persevere! That last stretch in the rain and backing into a tree may have done me in! If it makes you feel any better, I backed into OUR TRAILER last week. Yikes!

    So many great nuggets in this, and I’m thrilled you pushed to do it. Thanks for sharing!

  6. AvatarHolly Scherer says

    October 10, 2017 at 10:26 AM

    Oh no! That sucks, Ashley. It’s never fun to back into things. Even if there’s not much damage.

    So I actually pushed through another thing I wasn’t thrilled about. I’ve been planning to get one more trip in this year to hit up some parks know for fall colors. I set some tentative dates and when the time came, the forecast included a freeze warning. I wanted to back out but of course, Jer pushed me forward. I managed to stay warm and caught some incredible photos of frosty wild flowers and the sunrise over the steaming river. Another special experience.

    Thanks as always for the kind words and your support! ❤️????

  7. AvatarJerri says

    October 15, 2020 at 9:45 AM

    So it’s 2020, and I am finding this post from hollygoeswild! I love the lessons and the details of life in a tent. It sounds incredible! Someday I will go backpacking at a state park. I have said it out loud so that is my promise to myself. Thanks for the inspiration and the stories!

  8. AvatarHolly Scherer says

    October 15, 2020 at 10:30 AM

    I need to reread it. I try not to because I always want to change it and perfect it. But I’m certain I’ve come a long way over the last 4 season!

    I say make some day NEXT YEAR!

    Thank you always for your support and for reading!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Get the Best!

Sign up for exclusive content, special offers, and get immediate access to my new audio course.
* = required field

Support Holly

Become a Patron!

Let’s Connect

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Ready to transform your life?

Support This Site

Welcome

AvatarHi, I'm Holly and I'm happy you're here. I spent most of my life believing that I had to wait until I retired to live each day to the fullest. One day I had enough. Along with my spouse, we built the foundation for a life of freedom and it's my mission to help you do the same. Read More…

Upcoming Events

Recent Posts

  • 10 empowering books to read during times of crisis
  • How to thrive during the holidays when it feels like the world is falling apart
  • Start enjoying the holidays again with these holiday budget tips
  • How to change black and white thinking & improve your life
  • The Good News about Impostor Syndrome
  • How to make an abundance of friends at every stage of adult life

Categories

  • Clarify Your Calling
  • Health and Wellness
  • Personal Development
  • Personal Finance
  • Productivity
  • Supportive Relationships
  • Travel and Adventure

All Blog Posts by Month

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets

© Copyright 2020 Holly Scherer · All Rights Reserved · Powered by WordPress