What's Your End Game?

“So, what’s your end game?” my brother asks from the passenger seat in our small truck as we pull away from the Dane County, Wisconsin dump.   I know what he’s getting at, he wants to know how long we plan on living our nomadic lifestyle.  It’s a simple question and within it he’s wrapped his love, curiosity and perhaps his concern about our future.  His question is for me, but it is also very much about him. 

We’re working on transforming his yard into a better habitat for his kids, and hauling away an old concrete patio, one broken up piece, and trailer after trailer-full at a time.  He’s got a 3-year-old and a 1-year-old, a wife who has just begun a new career, and a lovely house into which the two of them have poured their blood, sweat and Lowe’s rewards card. They are planning for the future just as we’re improving his lawn.  I’m not quite sure how to answer him.  Do any of us know how to answer this one?

My reply is for him, but it's also really about me and my concerns.  I start with perspective. Ten years ago I wouldn’t have envisioned that I’d be living as we do, or that I’d be loving it so much.  At that time, my dream involved being a Coordinator of Outdoor Programs at Appalachian, a dream I had the great fortune to experience.  So, how could I know what the next 10 years will hold?

I continue with financial concerns.  We reinvested the money we earned from selling our house, we haven’t touched any of our previous investments, and can live for a full year on what we make in a season.  Even though we make less than a quarter of what we used to, we’re still able to save for our retirement.  Now, to be fair, our retirement dreams are pretty humble; but we know that we can sustain ourselves on much less than we used to need.  Indeed, we’re thriving on it. 

Eventually, I settle on painting a picture filled with the experiences and opportunities we’ve had over the past 5 years.  If these riches aren’t compelling enough and suggest that more of the same lie ahead, then I am not sure I can lay aside his concerns.  Perhaps he’ll just have to trust that the skills which got us this far will get us through whatever the next dream becomes.  Was I saying all this more for him, or for me?
   

I don’t know what our “End Game” looks like; I’m not sure we even know what we want for that time in our lives as so much can change drastically when you are open to new and unplanned experiences.  If the last 5 years have created any precedent for what comes next, I do know that it probably won’t be boring.  One thing we always remember is the quote we have on the wall in Hamlet: “Life is what happens to you as you are busy making other plans.”

Five years ago on our 12th wedding anniversary, we launched from Boone, NC on what we thought might be a year-and-a-half expedition around our country.  We sought a new, more sustainable way of life, an opportunity to discover what makes America great, develop some new skills, make new friends while reconnecting with old friends and family along the way.  What we have accomplished, seen, experienced, learned, discovered and been challenged by could easily fill many books.


One thing we know for sure is that we couldn’t have made it this far without your support, cheers, and the many times you’ve offered driveways or curbs outside your homes where we could park our rig.  In honor of the 5^th anniversary of our new lifestyle and Hamlet’s 60^th birthday, here are a few fun statistics about our journey.  We realize, of course, that these numbers only brush the surface of our new normal, but this important anniversary warrants highlighting a few...

49 U.S. states explored

5 other countries visited

50+ old friends & family members seen

too many new friends made to count!

75,000+ miles driven

1 camper

2 trucks

1 car accident

3 deer hit

too many amazing wildlife to count!
6 times across the Mississippi River

10 mechanics who saved the day
1 mechanics who cheated us
12 weeks spent in a tent
60+ national parks, monuments, and lake/seashores visited
too many miles cycled, hiked, or paddled to count!

23 paid jobs

60 weeks of volunteer work

4 organic farms volunteered on 

208 laundromats used
1 house sold

too many tours given of Hamlet to count!

25,672 images captured on film

1642 free camping nights

3 leaks in the camper
too many sunrises/sunsets watched to count!
1 night driven inside to a hotel by Mother Nature
6 TV appearances
22 public presentations given
2 articles published
1 manuscript started

1 bike stolen

1 bike returned by the police

23 useful items found & used

too many opportunities seized to count!

1 emergency room visit

2 cases each of malaria

103 NPS ranger programs attended

200+ ranger programs taught

3 languages learned (at least a bit)

11,158 feet  = highest elevation with Hamlet
-282 feet = lowest elevation with Hamlet
105 degrees Fahrenheit = highest temperature inside Hamlet
6 degrees Fahrenheit = lowest temperature inside Hamlet
Na Pali Coast, Kauai = furthest point west of NC
Nairobi, Kenya = furthest point south and east of NC
Quadra Island, British Columbia = furthest point north of NC

Wanna know more about what we've been up to?  
Here are few ways to learn more about our journey:

Visit our website at freedominacan.com (for photos, blog, map, and more).

Invite us to give a presentation at your college/university, library, Rotary Club, Sierra Club, church, etc.  We are now scheduling presentations for winter and spring 2018 in the southeast!

Read our upcoming book…”Freedom in a Can:  How We Spent our Mid-Life Crisis”