I agree that it can be real nice to have along friends for these sorts of things.

And believe me, I always try to invite a few to join me.

But let me tell you what has been my experience as l've gotten older (I'm in my early 50s): It gets harder, and harder, and harder to find people to join me.

When I was 30, I could find people to join me with the snap of my fingers.

Now, finding somebody to join me who will actually follow through is almost impossible. Everybody's set in their ways, they've got other things going on in their lives, nobody wants to give up their bathrooms and air conditioning or central heating. Other folks my age fear sleeping on the ground and getting dirty.

They don't know what they're missing out on. They don't understand that these experiences alone with God in the backcountry rejuvenate one's soul - hard ground or not.

I'll have to do a video where I talk about the realities of aging and how difficult it becomes to get other people to join you, just to see how many others can identify with it.

Me not going out into the backcountry is not an option. And if I waited around and only did it when I had others to go with me, I simply would never get to go.

So the only option is for me to be willing to go solo.

Some folks worry I'll end up getting hurt or worse out there, and it's a possibility.

But the end comes for us all eventually whether we never leave our couches or we do. I'd rather be living when it comes.