I didn’t realize it when I bought my blue backpack in college that I was actually buying a good friend, a teacher, an aspirational goal. I had always bought a cheap backpack pretty much every year of school for as long as I could remember. Sometimes they would last a little longer, seldom as long as two years though.
They all started out new and clean and full of promise. All the buckles and stitches and zippers did what they were designed to do. They eventually, all too soon though, fell apart. They let me down. Those cheap ones, one indistinguishable from the next were usually around $20 (in 1992 dollars).
I decided for purely non-altruistic reasons to buy a sturdier one on a whim. I don’t remember why exactly. I think it might be because I was also shopping for a bigger backpack at the time to live out of traveling through Europe once I graduated. That is also an awesome backpack. I’ll probably write about it someday as well!
I could tell this blue backpack was better than one of my typical ones just by looking at it. The stitching was much more robust and the zipper looked like it came from a mountaineering pack. Well, actually it did, J and D mountaineering to be exact. It probably cost about $40 if I remember correctly. I was limping along financially towards the end of college so I can’t imagine it cost much more than that. It was probably on sale. This was the era of taking a single $20 bill out of the ATM as infrequently as I could get away with. Just today, I loaded it with my gear today and hit the trail at Rattlesnake Lake, a third of century after I bought it. It was a perfect lightly drizzly day of hiking. I’ll likely write about that as well eventually.
I’ve used it a lot over the decades. No longer daily, but a lot nonetheless. It has likely been to more countries than most people I know have. It was my only hiking backpack for many years until I got around to getting a larger (40 liter) internal frame one. I think I will love that backpack a lot too. Maybe I just love backpacks. Is that a thing? Rucksackphilia?
The color is massively faded as is evident by the brilliant deep blue under a fold that has been in the shade all this time that reveals the pack’s youth. It really is a beautiful royal cobalt blue. I guess I used to be a beautiful young blue backpack once. But we are both still kickin’ and looking reasonably good, all things considered. I wonder if my backpack also has minor hip problems?
Hopefully I’ve learned to be honest. Use good materials. Don’t look for short cuts. Do what is best for the planet or your daughter or whomever you care about, it is probably best for you too. Trust yourself; rely on yourself. Be kind to yourself. Be of service to others. Celebrate every day you wake up and your stitches are still in tact and your hip or zipper glides reasonably smoothly.
I am stronger and happier and a better person because of this blue backpack and because of all others like it in my world. After reading this you are hopefully a teeny-tiny better able to help others because of that backpack. It had to be royal blue it seemed.
I’m going to really miss that beautiful blue backpack. Will she miss me? I wonder which of us will be taken by the silence first?
