Nature’s Easy Chair

My pack hits the ground, I slump down next to it, wiggling my body around on the hard ground trying to find a good spot. My back leans into the awkwardly shaped rock behind me, trying to find that sweet spot. I know it’s there, just need to get the right angle, lean a little this way, put pressure that way and…. yup there it is. Nature’s Easy Chair.
On every backpacking, camping or canoeing trip you’ll find it. Sometimes you have to look harder than others. Sometimes it’s a log and not a rock. Sometimes it’s a series of logs or soft sandstone, or even just hill you lean in to but it’s there.
When out on the trail after a day spent carrying a fully loaded backpack, or shouldering a canoe you paddled without back support throughout the day, the one thing I find myself longing for is something to lean my back into to take the pressure off.
That leads to the hunt for Nature’s Easy Chair.
Looking at a rock or downed tree it might not be evident that it’s there, not like when you walk into the living room and see that leather recliner just waiting for you in the corner. But look closely and you’ll see the geometry is there, you just may have to contort yourself to pull it off.
There’s nothing worse than getting to a campsite, dropping your pack and not giving the area a good once over before you plop to the ground. You may find something that seems to work but your legs are at a weird angle or you’re leaning too far back or not far enough, butt sliding one way or the other. Then you hear your hiking buddy, ‘Ahhhhh that’s the spot.’ They got it. The rest of the evening your jealousy simmers as sharp outcroppings dig into your spine, a rock pokes your hamstrings and you just can’t seem to relax. It’s not until you lay down in your tent that you can finally feel sweet relief.
So, you try to be the first up the next morning, nab that seat before your buddy. It’s not the right thing to do, normally you stick to your spot but just for a few moments you reason. While I drink my coffee, before I shoulder my pack or get in the canoe, just a few moments of lumbar support.
The battle for Nature’s Easy Chair can be fierce, friends may be lost, if you snake it in the morning after missing it the night before your day may be filled with an uneasy silence and side eyes.
While it’s each hiker for themselves in the battle for Nature’s Easy Chair, be understanding, offer to share, or help your buddy build or find one of their own. A little slice of comfort and unselfishness goes a long way on the trail.