Unplugged in Shenandoah National Park

Prior to leaving on my 10-week travel extravaganza this summer I had to make some arrangements. One such arrangement was calling and getting a “nationwide” plan added to my cellphone for the months of June, July, and August. You see, in my little village the only cell provider is a local company called GCI. CGI only offers cell service in Alaska, which left me in a bit of a pickle. How was I going to use my phone in the lower 48 during the summer? Panic began to set in.

Luckily, upon calling GCI, I discovered that for $10/month you can add a “nationwide” plan to your regular plan. The added plan basically allows me to bounce off of T-Mobile cell towers and use their service. This sounded great! The key word being sounded.  Almost every place I’ve gone has zero T-Mobile service. I’ve basically reverted back to the days of having to use a house phone to call anyone. Guess what? I’m loving it!

One of my goals for this year was to be more mindful. I am, unfortunately, the kind of person who spends a lot of time “plugged in.” I am constantly texting, calling, and browsing the internet. Because of my little phone snafu this summer though I have almost completely eliminated the problem, and I didn’t even mean to do it. I can still use the internet and text/FaceTime people with iPhones as long as I am connected to wifi, but any time I go in public I am 100% unplugged from the digital world.

This week I am in Virginia visiting my sister and her family. We decided one day to pack up in the early AM and drive to Shenandoah National Park, which was a total bucket list item for me. The park itself was incredible! We hiked Dark Hollow Falls Trail and Upper Hawksbill Trail in the park, we had a picnic out at one of their campgrounds, and we stopped at multiple little pull-off areas to sit and enjoy the beautiful day.

It was so nice to spend the day tech-free too. Well, almost tech-free. I did use my phone as a camera, but that was it! I didn’t text or sit around browsing websites the second we sat down at the picnic area. I had genuine, in-depth conversations with my sister and nieces. It was such a special day, and it was a reminder of how much more meaningful our interactions can be when technology is thrown out of the scenario.


4 Responses to Unplugged in Shenandoah National Park

  1. Welcome to Virginia, my home state! We do have some beautiful, green mountains.
    I have yet to switch to a “smart” phone. Currently, my “dumb” phone is mainly used to make calls if I am running errands, etc. I never leave it on and only get calls in if I have made a point of leaving it on for a particular person to call me. I haven’t switched because I don’t want to feel tied to a phone or feel the need to be checking things. Honestly, I can’t say that I feel deprived or miss having one. I guess when my current phone dies, I will then switch. But until then, I am fine with the way things are.

    • Thanks! I’ve really been enjoying my time here. VA is a beautiful place. I am definitely not the kind of person who could downgrade to a “dumb phone.” Living 4,000+ miles away from my family and friends makes me rely pretty heavily on the technology of a smart phone in order to stay in contact with them. House phones aren’t an option in our village – we actually communicate within our community using VHF radio (which is kind of neat!). It is something I might consider if we ever moved back to civilization though!

  2. I mostly use my phone to make calls and take photos. It drives my friends crazy that my phone isn’t stuck to my hand or constantly by my side haha. Out here in the Bay Area that is not the norm. If you go anywhere, most likely 95% (or more) are looking at their phone. It is like they don’t want to look like they aren’t busy. I just got back from Yosemite and the coverage there is spotty at best making everyone take in the landscape and spend time with each other…it was awesome!!

    • I totally agree with you about how nice it is to be unplugged when you are in nature. My husband and I did a two week road trip through Canada last year, and we stopped in Banff and Jasper National Parks, and it was SO NICE just getting to spend time the two of us without technology.

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