What is a Wilder Romp?
Simply put, to go on a wilder romp is to get outside and have a fun adventure. It’s what you do when you need to unburden the mind, to relax in nature, and perhaps abandon the structure of “everyday life”.
When you think of romping, what comes to mind? Running around? Playful innocence? Exuberance? Frolicking? Frivolity? I think of it as all of these things and but also letting yourself go, taking life as it comes. And when you combine this with the healing, rejuvenating, essence of “nature bathing”, you have yourself a Wilder Romp!
In our everyday lives, the gears of our human machine turn slowly, plodding along as they take us from one day to the next. They coordinate to keep us fed, to focus on earning an income, and to care for our essential needs.
A Wilder Romp is intended to unwind all of that just a bit, to provide us with a respite when the gears begin to grind. It’s a way to loosen them up and inject them with a little oil so that when we return to daily life we are running at peak performance.
Now, this isn’t to say that we throw maps to the wind and start running naked through the forest. Our ultimate enjoyment of every outdoor adventure comes only when we can do so safely. With that in mind our Wilder Romps are still well planned with necessary precautions taken. But it is about going out unencumbered by lofty goals and instead letting the adventure find you, enjoying the small things you encounter along the way, and most importantly, having fun!
My intent is to share my experiences, how I go about things, the gear I use, and tips that have been useful on my own romps. Perhaps you’ll find some of it useful as you prepare for your next adventures.
Perhaps one day we’ll meet in the wilds and until then, happy romping!
About Me
My name is Brian. I’m a father, a husband, and wilder romper.
I am in my 50’s and have been romping for many years. I haven’t always called it that, but the older I get the more I tend towards the perspective that is the essence of the wilder romp.
Like many people that get into hiking and backpacking, I do enjoy “gearing up”. I like trying out different types of gear, testing them to see how they perform, and noting which works best for varying conditions. So, I acquire new gear frequently and tweak my loads often. I enjoy sharing what I’ve learned and learning from others that may have experiences different than my one.
I’ve lead youth groups on outdoor adventures, romping in the backcountry with packgoats, or bikepacking the length of the C&O canal. As my kids have gotten older, with independent lives, they only very occasionally join me and so most of my trips are solo these days. That said, wherever permitted, I am accompanied with my faithful dog, Hardy. He’s the one you see on the front page and sprinkled through most of the articles here.
