If you are one of those people engineered to serve our crony capitalism then you'd most likely agree with me that being jobless is a damn privilege. The freedom to do whatever you want whenever you want - that's one version of calling living life king size. I've been lucky enough to escape those chains and enrich myself with different experiences. And the saga that follows is about one such.

Never thought of doing any kind of solo backpacking until few weeks before. My only idea was go into the woods, relax for few days and come back. But little did I know that this trip of mine will help me discover a feeling I've never felt before. One for which I'd happily sacrifice a lot of things to experience again. One that made me say the words "I am nature". You know that concept of "Zen"? I think I experienced my oneness with nature.

I appreciated every element of nature several times in my life - the warmth of the sun, shade of the trees, chill of the breeze, color of the sky contrasting the dull grey palette of the granite mountains with burnt wood pine trees and lush green meadows of summer swaying to the soundtrack of roaring waterfalls and chirping birds. But this time one simple element was added - freedom to do simplest of things. The freedom that you owe to yourself. It could come in different forms, mine came in the following few:

• picking your own spot to camp - mine was 3 miles below Clouds Rest, a secluded yet well sheltered spot to the backdrop of the mighty Half Dome and just a few feet away from a stream formed by the melting snow on the Rest
• reading your favorite themed book to the perfect setup provided by the sun, breeze and buzzing of the bees
• making your own bear storage
• eating snow on top of the mountain
• bathing in the nearby creek stark naked

You are in the moment, living it completely, all by yourself. I couldn't have asked for more and I could only imagine what the people who do stuff like this for months go through. Many would agree that a simple life gives utmost happiness and backpacking is definitely an avenue for a simple life. I dare each one of you to do it alone at least once.

For those few days I think I was able to relate to people like John Muir and Christopher McCandless and their words about solitude in nature. I was able to understand why they did what they did. And when I got back to the "campgrounds" in the valley I agreed with the criticism of 1950s Beat generation - how people create suburban atmosphere in national parks with their perfectly arranged grills, self sufficient caravans and their comfortable chairs and tables. It felt like some kind of civilized pseudo camping. Suddenly I missed the purity of the untamed wilderness. Camping in designated areas is not going to be the same again, maybe I will never go camping in designated campgrounds. I left a piece of me in the wilderness which will keep calling me. Be that as it may, I have another world to tackle. All I can do right now is think of my next encounter along with my loved ones.