While backpacking in the Adirondacks last year, I listened to The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter. As I scrambled up the trail’s slick rocks, trying my hardest not to fall before reaching the summit of Nippletop, Easter warned me about a different danger: the eradication of discomfort. Sure, the amenities of modern life, such as cars, on-demand food, and temperature-controlled environments, ease our daily lives, but he argued they also erode satisfaction and fulfillment by depriving us of fundamental human skills and experiences.
So, what’s the antidote to this problem? Well, engaging in strenuous exercise helps, as does facing challenges in harsh natural environments. Easter also advocates for rucking, or walking with a weighted pack for exercise, to get in touch with a fundamental skill of our hunter-gatherer ancestors.
I was skeptical. Rucking seemed like just another trendy fitness craze, but with origins in the military, where marching for long distances with a loaded pack, is a fundamental training activity. Besides, personal trainers frequently recommend using weighted packs to train for a long trek. What…
