One of the things that motivates me every single year is the thought of backpacking. I love being outdoors and the drive to go out and challenge myself to see cool things and experience pain to get there just excites me. I love the idea of seeing things that others won't have a chance to see because they won't go out and push themselves. It makes the views and experience much more special in my mind and that Is why I love backpacking. Now lots of people get scared when I tell them I have an ostomy and go backpacking with a stoma. It freaks them out and they think you are simply not supposed to go out and be adventurous. Instead of getting snarky I like to give tips that help them. If they also have a stoma I like to let them know what I do and use so they can try it later on if they get over their fear. That is my goal is to get people who are afraid to go out and be active to not be afraid anymore. It is not something that you should jump right into after surgery. You are more prone to a hernia and it is hard on your abs, but it can be done. I like to backpack like an ultralight backpacker. It is a whole genre of backpacking that takes things to the extreme. Backpacking with a stoma is extreme and this was right up my ally. I like to work on being as lightweight as possible not only for my ostomy but also for my happiness. I don't like hiking with tons of weight. I like to be comfortable. To be able to do this I have learned to live off of only essentials while backpacking. THis means not taking extra things that are driven by fear or comfort. In a way you find comfort by not bringing things to make you more comfortable. So I like to hammock on my backpacking trips. This allows me to sleep like a baby and be rested when I wake up. Sleeping on the ground never seems to help me feel better and be rested. So having a hammock and sleeping on my side is a wonderful treat. I also carry only super lightweight gear. This means my sleeping bag is actually a quilt. It weighs 1.5 lbs and is made of down. Is so warm and fluffy and still gets very small when packed in my bag. Instead of a regular 6 lb backpack my bag only weighs 1.5 lbs and is made of a ultralight material that is also waterproof. This allows me to lower my weight and carry less. Since I do carry some ostomy gear along and put it in a separate waterproof bag I like to try and cut weight everywhere else. This means I will only be taking one pair of clothing. So for this I make sure my shirt is uv protected so I don't get a sunburn around my stoma. That is really important. Skincare is paramount and so is staying clean so the more you can do to do that the better. I do try my absolute best to be wise in my choices and I suggest that you do as well. So get out and be adventurous even if you have a stoma.
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