Sleeping on the Floor

The Great Falls (MT) Tribune of 5 July 2007 has a column by Karen Land titled "Home is where you toss yer sack" in which she writes about buying her first bed. Seems she's spent her adult life up until now using sleeping bags and a floor.

As she writes, though, "I've spent thousands of amazing nights under the stars in that bag. That bag has kept me cozy, warm, and safe on the Appalachian Trail and the Iditarod Trail." I think there are a lot of long distance hikers who use their bags and pads indoors. It prolongs the experience. It brings back the memories. It's also cheaper than buying a bed and sheets and so on.

"As we use to say on the Appalachian Trail, 'Home is where you throw down your sleeping bag.' Even though I'm now a bed-owner, I'll always feel this way. I never want to get lazy and forget how wonderful it is to sleep outside."

Did you take a while to go back to the bed after a long hike?