While recovering from a right hemicolectomy, which due to complications turned into two major surgeries in seven days, I asked my surgeon when I could start lifting 50 pounds again. She advised in about six weeks. Lying in the hospital bed, fueled by morphine and dilaudid, I decided to make those six weeks count. I went on an online shopping spree at REI, investing about $3,000 in backpacking gear. By the time I was fully kitted out, the six weeks had passed, and I took my son backpacking in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. It was just six weeks after a major surgery, and though it deeply worried my family, I took every precaution, including carrying an emergency GPS beacon. Life is uncertain, and stoicism teaches us to act with courage and preparation, embracing challenges instead of waiting for perfect conditions.