Staying Found
Staying Found
Years ago, Melinda and I hiked the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) from Ashland, OR to Manning Park, British Columbia. We learned a lot about ourselves during the roughly 900 trail-mile trip, celebrated our first wedding anniversary sleeping on the dirt (can only go up from there!), and learned many life lessons. We also fell in love with spending time in the wilderness.
Being in the backcountry is life-giving and rejuvenating for the two of us. It’s also something we want to expose our children to. As such, Melinda and I pack up our backpacking gear and the kids each summer and head into the wilderness for an adventure. Many people will think we are a little crazy (okay, okay, a LOT crazy!) taking three young kids into the forest for a week at a time, and they might just be right!
This year, our end-of-summer tradition found us in the Mount Jefferson wilderness. This is the fourth summer we’ve gone backpacking with three kids. The first time the kids were aged 5, 3, and 1. Now with the crew being 8, 6, and 4, it is getting much easier logistically!
One of the many essential life lessons we’ve learned from our backpacking adventures is the need for thorough preparation and planning. Part of that preparation was the acquisition of basic wilderness skills. The most important of which was “staying found.” Especially when things go “wrong,” how do we stay found?
Staying “found” may be as simple as slowing down, pausing, and giving yourself a moment to recalibrate. Or put another way, rather than the reflexive need to “do something,” it might be wise to “just sit there.”
For Melinda and me, one of these “staying found” moments occurred during our PCT hike in Washington. We had just crossed the Packwood glacier in the Goat Rocks Wilderness (a harrowing crossing itself). The day was gorgeous, but the sun was beginning to set. Just north of the glacier crossing is the “Knife’s Edge.” As you might expect, it has steep sides and can be disorienting in good conditions.
As luck would have it, as we were crossing the Knife’s Edge, a dense fog rolled in, making seeing 5 feet in front of you a significant challenge. We were fatigued, stressed by the conditions, didn’t feel safe to go back across the glacier, and knew that we needed to turn east “soon” and that an old trail diverged in the area and would take us in the wrong direction. So, what did we do? We did nothing. We called it a day. Set up camp then and there on the trail itself.
A picture of Knife’s Edge on a better day!
Topo map showing Packwood Glacier, Knife’s Edge, PCT, and “wrong trail.”
In early 2021, the financial markets dropped more than 15% from their previous highs. This event was “normal” in the grand scheme of how markets work, but the event itself is never predictable. While this event may have elevated our emotions, we followed the script. We stayed the course. We “just sat there” rather than “doing something.”
That’s not entirely true. We DID do something. We started withdrawing from the “conservative bucket” to meet cash flow needs. We rebalanced as appropriate. And more importantly, we followed the plan created while in an “unexcited” emotional state. We have once again executed the plan a year and a half later. Now we work to replenish the “conservative bucket” to prepare for the next downturn that will inevitably come.
Or, to put it another way, we stayed “found.” Rooted. Focused on the long-term outcomes, in good times and rocky ones.
It is easy to lose the “forest for the trees” in the wilderness and in life. Wayne and I preach the mantra “Systematic, Unemotional, and Diversified.” It helps us “stay found.”
We understand that our capacity for making good decisions drops dramatically in stressful situations. This is just as true when encountering disorienting conditions in the wilderness, dealing with health crises of loved ones, or navigating financial bear markets. If we’ve put the effort in to create the plan before the event, it is much easier to go step-by-step through the process and execute one thing at a time.
This summer, Emilia, Isabel, and Josiah continued to work on their map reading and compass skills while on our wilderness adventure. They can identify features on a map and get their bearings. All with the intent of “staying found.”
Finding our “True North,” our purpose, your purpose is what we’re all about. That’s why we plan. That’s why we listen.
Aligning Values, Vision, and Wealth™. That’s what the tagline says. But it is much, much more than a slogan.
Sincerely,
CRAIG R. SMITH, CFP®, CFA®, ChFC®, CLU®
The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. To determine which investment(s) may be appropriate for you, consult your financial advisor prior to investing.
