Ya know, I'm of two minds on this! The time I spent before retirement and the time I spent after retirement. I spent a good part of my life working (BLM) and playing in the back country. I did lot's of hiking, walking, tent and truck camping back packing for that first part of my life and thinking back; I would not change a thing. I need to tell a short story to start that 2nd half!
The year before I retired I was truck camping on the coast: it was rainy, cold windy, could not keep the fire going or the tent up-really miserable. well as me and the dog sat there, a guy and a camper, pulled up near me, got out, let his dog out, then climbed in the camper and a few minutes later came out with a cup of coffee, looked at me and finished his coffee, called his dog, and drove away! A little while later, I saw an add of a couple sitting under an awning, on a fwc enjoying drinks up in the high country somewhere-a couple of months later bought a FWC Granby! Yep it was time for a life style change!
So what am I trying to say? When I was young and dumb, I could drink and chase wild women all night, bounce over 4wd roads, and climb mountains with a hang over all day and do it all over again the next day. Then one day, your body/wife etc , says its time to slow down! Boy were there times in the past I would have loved to have had a FWC-of course. If I were rich, I could have bought a neat RV or something, and played. However, like most of us I roughed it and again I would not change a thing. Does that mean if you have a chance to do some wild and crazy you shouldn't do it? No-do it if you know you will have the time to recover from it and not destroy or hurt any personal commitments. You may never have a chance to climb that mountain or buy that neat speed boat again. So if you don't do it, you can start planning for future adventures and do a few small trips or whatever, but you will always wonder; if you should have done it; Safe and sure, wild and crazy, you will know what to do when the time comes!
Sorry, don't know if that bit of advice helps, so like that guy and his dog and that camper, i now enjoy those mornings (with the dog) and my coffee on those nasty days, in my nice and warm FWC!
Smoke