A Weekend Hike and Turning Off Work Mode

A few days after I returned from Maine, I made an impulsive choice to take another short vacation, or more of an extended weekend. The idea was to plan as little as possible: find a place to hike nearby, book a hotel or Airbnb, and just do it instead of thinking about it for months. It worked — I followed through this time. I was pretty much able to turn off my mental “work mode” without issues, which hasn’t been easy the last few vacations. The fact that I use my work phone when I’m out doesn’t help of course. I know it’s one of those “duh” things, but you’d be surprised how hard it is to disconnect. It’s like exercising a skill: you get better with time. I took a picture of the sign at the entrance to the park, and as we were walking I matched the trails in the picture against Google Maps on my phone1. I made navigation calls with RKWB this time. I realize, in hindsight, that I wasn’t as passive as I was in Maine. We spent over 5 hours hiking and throwing stupid “your face” jokes at…