Learning to slow down

I recently got back from a three day camping trip in the Manti-La Sal National Forest. This was my second camping trip, but my first multi day trip.

The drive to the campgrounds was a lot of fun. It was my first actual road trip in the new car I got a few months ago. I drove through a bunch of small towns and then up a fun windy road in the canyon.

One of the things I was really looking forward to was doing some fishing while I was up there. My last camping trip, I fished for a couple hours and didn't catch anything. I also didn't have my own fishing stuff at the time, so I made sure to get a tackle box and fishing pole so I was ready to fish as much as I wanted to.

I got to the campsite about an hour before my brother and got my stuff set up. Once he got there, he got set up and we headed up the trail to the little lake that was next to the campsite. It was really cool being so close to the water so that we could fish whenever we felt like it.

I had a lot better luck fishing this time and I caught four rainbow trout. They were all pretty small, so I released them all back. I also am not a fan of eating fish so we had no plans on keeping any of them that we caught.

I went out exploring the area as the sun was setting and I found a cool little vantage point that overlooked the valley and you could see the city of Ephraim down in the distance. Seeing the sunset out in nature like this is such a magical experience.

Being out in nature is so healing for me. My entire life has been constant "go go go" and I never really learned to slow down and just be present in life. Being out in nature like this forces you to slow down.

I spent a lot of time sitting on tree stumps and just watching nature. I enjoyed watching the chipmunks climbing around on the tree looking for nuts and then eating them and dropping the shells down to the ground. There is always so much going on in nature but it is so easy to miss out on what is always going on. You really have to force yourself to slow down and pay attention so you dont miss it.

My brother goes camping all the time, so he is pretty good at it. I asked him what we are supposed to do and what a typical day camping looks like. He said you just relax and do whatever you want to do, but the main thing is to just relax. It was nice hanging out with him and going exploring with his dogs.

My brother isnt much of a fisherman either and he was excited to do some fishing. He recently retired from the military after 25 years, and he is looking forward to living life at a slower pace as well. It's been fun camping with him and learning the tips and tricks of camping. My last camping trip, I forgot so many things. I forgot my pillow, a belt for my pants, and a few other essential items. This time, I was way more prepared and I learned of more things that I eventually want to get to make camping even more fun.

One of the things I want to get is a small camp griddle. It would be nice to be able to cook bacon, sausage and eggs in the morning for breakfast. I ended up eating some dehydrated meals, and this venison country casserole was really good and filling, but being able to cook fresh food would be nice. I would need a dishwashing station if I were to cook fresh food and stuff, so that is also on my list of items to get.

I had a lot of fun hanging out around the campfire relaxing and listening to music. The nicest thing about camping is really having zero responsibilities or things to run around and do.

I also roasted a lot of marshmallows and more smores than I should have. It has been fun getting out camping with my brother and getting to know him more. I left home pretty soon after high school, so I never really got to know my family that I grew up with. So it has been cool reconnecting with family and learning what everyone has been up to the last 25 years. It is crazy how fast life goes. So be sure to take some time and get out in nature and slow down or life will just pass you by.