Boondockers Unite
You guys, we’re doing this thing. Dare I say we’re becoming legit fulltimers? We’ve been Boondocking for two weeks now, and the world has not come to an end!
You know you’ve fully embraced RV life when you go on a bike ride and can feel the wind blowing through your leg hair… I have arrived.
We just spent ten days at the Gros Ventre Campground in Grand Teton National Forest (about 20 minutes from the town of Jackson). We had a blast, saw a ton of wildlife, got out on the water, and went on a bunch of hikes. I even had the chance to catch up with an old friend I haven’t seen since High School who has been living in Jackson for almost 20 years (of which I am very jealous, it is one cool town). Shout out to Karen (who is not at all a “Karen”), it was so great to see you!
I’m not going to waste a lot of words describing our time at Gros Ventre, I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves. Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park are stunning and well worth a visit. Go there.
So, back to the Boondocking. Admittedly, Brent and I have been a little terrified by the idea. If you’re not familiar with the term, it’s just basically camping in your RV/Trailer without any hookups. The upside to this is complete freedom and the ability to park pretty much wherever there is open land, vs. having to find (and pay for) a spot in an established campground. The main drawback/concern is that you need your house batteries to run lights, outlets, and most importantly, the refrigerator. If you’re not hooked up to electricity then you need to run your generator every few hours to recharge the batteries, or invest in solar panels to keep you up and running.
The other main consideration is your tank levels. If you run out of water, you need to be able to refill somewhere. And when your gray and black water tanks fill up, you need somewhere to dump them.
With 5 people on board, we have a lot of tank movement… if you get my drift.
Our first stretch of Boondocking came somewhat accidentally at Gros Ventre, because we picked that campground thinking we would be able to snag a site with Electric hookups. We were wrong. This was our first chance to really test our limits, as previously we had only gone one or two nights without plugging in somewhere.
Turns out we can make it about 5 days without refilling/dumping the tanks, who knew?! Let me amend this statement by saying that showers (especially hair washing) are a rare luxury, and all non-essential bathing tasks have been eliminated (i.e. shaving).
Sacrifices have been made.
As a crew, we’re pretty (very) ripe.
It’s possible (likely) that you can smell us coming.
The upside to this is that everyone around us is in exactly the same boat. It is a no judgement zone (as all places should be).
We’re all ripe together.
I even compared leg hair with a new friend yesterday (we called it a tie).
Speaking of friends… what a gift they are. Without question, my biggest concern when embarking on this adventure was the loss of my existing community, and the thought of going it alone for an entire year.
While at Gros Ventre, we happened to meet an awesome family who has been living/traveling on the road for six years. While our boys scooted around together, sharing tricks and jokes, Brent and I quickly became friends with the parents.
There’s this thing that happens in campgrounds… when you’re all standing around in your pajamas with unwashed hair, coffee cup in hand, no bra, no rules… all pretense falls away. And with it, any need for small talk.
Conversation becomes so real. Connection becomes so real.
While chatting, after discovering that I teach yoga and am in to energy work, my new friend Wendy said, “let me lead you to your people.”
So we followed. Because, why not? We have a loose agenda of where we want to go/be, but what does that mean really? What is the point of this adventure if we are unwilling to follow where the side roads lead us?
So to Driggs, Idaho we have come and landed in a beautiful Boondocking spot next to a creek, where the kids and dogs are having a blast running around as free as can be.
No hookups. No rules. Just absolute freedom. It is heaven.
And thanks to our new friends, we have lucked our way into a community of other Fulltime Families who are also here for the moment. And they are beautiful.
Yesterday I was invited to go on a hike with the other Moms in the group, and it was just as soul-fulfilling as you might imagine an outing with a group of adventurous, thoughtful, insightful, enlightened women to be.
They warned me there would be crying.
I was the first to go.
I know from my own experience how easy it is to go deep and get real with people in a short period of time when you allow yourself to be fully authentic and vulnerable, but for whatever reason, I really needed this reminder on the road.
These women immediately and without question invited me into their fold, and in one hike I was reassured that I have nothing to fear on the road.
Community is all around us.
It is wherever we go, as long as we allow ourselves to be open and receive it.
Even standing six feet apart (whether because of COVID or because of our limited showering resources… TBD), connection is possible.
Community is here.
I honestly have no idea how long we’re going to stay here or where exactly we are going next, which is the same answer the rest of these families give when asked. And I love it.
Nowhere to go. Nothing to do. No one to be but myself. What a gift.
In Joy, Truth, & Love,
~lisa
Stunning views and stunning women on the “Moms’ hike.”
