I walked 90,000 steps in three days to help cure my screen addiction
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I walked 90,000 steps in three days to help cure my screen addiction

Kaneb0

When I was a child, I could amuse myself with the most seemingly mundane things. On any given day, for example, you can find me jumping into a pile of sofa cushions from the highest step I’ve dared to jump from (not recommended), or concocting vile potions by mixing up anything in the kitchen cupboards I could get my hands on.

Marmite, strawberry milkshake concentrate and milk was, if I remember correctly, a step too far in the stomach. Adventure and wonder were around every corner, but somewhere along the way I lost both. And I miss them.

Of course, some of this is simply the flickering flame of childhood innocence snuffed out by annoying things like bills, visits to the dentist, and mysterious car warning lights. I miss the days when I was seemingly incapable of being bored, filling my free time in any way I saw fit, living in the moment without a care in the world.

The second reason for this loss of living in the present is technology. Today, like, dare I say, most people reading these words, I find myself in a rut. I mindlessly scroll through my phone, letting time—our most precious resource—slip through my fingers with reckless abandon. Sure, my Reddit addiction means I’m up to date on the latest (many) Trump campaign debacles. And yes, my knowledge of memes, GIFs, and cat-related subreddits is second to none. But I can’t deny that I spend far too many of my waking hours craning my neck, staring down at a slab of rectangular glass, and consuming more volatile content than my brain could ever hope to handle.

As a self-confessed geek and geek (not to mention, someone who writes about tech for a living), I recognize the hypocrisy of all this. For what it’s worth, I’ve been wanting to reevaluate my relationship with technology for a while, but have filed those intentions away in the dark corner of my brain reserved for delaying other overwhelming tasks, like learning Japanese, reading more books, learning about how to play the drums, and sort out the recycling in a reasonable amount of time.

Recently, however, an opportunity arose that, while not an immediate cure for my scrolling addiction, has at least put me on the first of many stepping stones toward a healthier relationship with technology in general.

Go this way

When I first got an invitation to attend Fjällräven Classic UK — a 50km/31m multi-day hiking/camping expedition through the remote wilderness of the Lake District, my first thoughts were a.) this sounds scary and b.) this is just the kick I need to start sorting myself out. So I accepted the invitation immediately and without much thought, other than that it would be good for me. In some way. Probably. And, incredibly sore feet aside, having crossed the finish line three days after we set off at the lovely Muncaster Castle, I’m happy to report that it was.

As it turns out, for someone who has never camped even once in his life (unless that counts in a tent at Bestival for a night, I couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to the great outdoors). Fjällräven’s Classic events (taking place all over the world from Korea and Sweden, to Chile, Denmark, USA, UK and more) combine challenging journeys through captivating landscapes with the safety and security of a dedicated team of happy workers and volunteers on hand to sort out the route, the food and the infrastructure.

And the best part? It’s not a race. In keeping with the brand’s goal of making nature accessible to everyone at whatever pace and difficulty they want, there’s no pressure or expectation beyond just having a great time. Which I did — once I had figured out some rules for myself, that is.

Let it go

I walked 90,000 steps in three days to help cure my screen addictionI walked 90,000 steps in three days to help cure my screen addiction

For starters, I would leave my phone in Ultra Battery Saver mode. Airplane mode was of course another option, except that the absolute zero coverage out in the wilderness took care of that particular issue. I would also check in with friends and family every day back at camp to let them know I hadn’t been rumbled by any raiding cattle. But aside from that, my smartphone—my portal to endless, mindless distractions—was relegated to filling the role of a slim and capable digital camera.

But even this wasn’t quite enough, because I have a bit of a problem when it comes to smartphone photography. When I’m at an event or on vacation, I often come back and realize that I spent way too much of it looking at things through my phone’s camera app rather than with my own eyes. Spending time composing the perfect shot is great and all, but if all you do is take it and move on like I tend to do, you’re living in the moment in all the wrong ways.

Enter the Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses, complete with dual cameras to snap and record all the walking, without having to lift a finger or stare at a screen. This, I decided, would be the ultimate tool to help me truly unwind from distracting technology, while still capturing memories of my experience. The fact that there’s no way to frame photos and videos made it even more appealing, and I’m happy to report that it worked an absolute treat. Sure, it didn’t lend itself to images as refined as the ones I took on my smartphone, but in a way, I prefer the raw, first-person, experiential photos and videos that were taken on them, and could relate to them more, given that I lived through every shot properly.

With these rules in place, I spent three days truly living minute by minute, swearing off the uncharacteristically warm September sun and steep hills for a moment, laughing with new friends while knocking back Kendal Mint Cake – one of the greatest culinary inventions of story, and one that I’m pretty sure saved my life with a burst of peppermint/glucose energy.

There were highs and lows of course (I really thought I was going to fall into a pile of rocks at one particularly hairy moment at the end of the second day), but such is life. Heading back to civilization after crossing the line about 90,000 steps after setting off, my head was full of newly forged memories, in a much more meaningful way than just scrolling through my phone’s gallery app.

I haven’t quit Reddit yet. It requires a level of willpower several steps further. But I’ve been actively using it less, and when I catch myself, phone in hand, when I’m rolling away the zombie, I make a point to put it down, look around and see what else there is to do. It turns out there is a lot. Of course, most of it is not fun (uh look, the dishwasher needs emptying again) but there’s something satisfying about doing something other than staring down at that startling rectangle of glass.

As for the next step, I’m looking at picking up a suitable one stupid phoneto see if it can completely replace my smartphone when I’m in the house. HMD’s Barbie flip phone arrived today, and I’m looking forward to taking it for a spin. With no apps whatsoever (yes, even WhatsApp is missing) it will be the next big step in reducing my screen addiction. It’s equal parts scary and exciting, and I’m very much looking forward to seeing how I do. For now though, I can visit r/catswithjobs just one last time…

Website https://carnevalestoricocivitonico.it

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