Although most dictionaries define “dirtbag” as an unkempt, despicable person, the Urban Dictionary, that fount of crowd-sourced slang definitions, defines dirtbag as, “a person committed to a given (usually extreme) lifestyle to the point of abandoning employment and other societal norms in order to pursue said lifestyle.” That description came into common use among the climbers in Yosemite in the 1960’s, quickly spread through the worldwide climbing community and then jumped to the surfing community. Rather than the hippies’ pursuit of “peace, love, and rock-n-roll”, the dirtbags tended to be more adrenaline focused.
Increasing restrictions on use of public land and increasing prices for camping and camping vehicles has made following this lifestyle more and more difficult. The counter-culture movement that spiritually fed the dirtbags and their ilk has all but disappeared, and with it, the simple, non-materialistic approach to the world. Some say that dirtbagging is dead, but others argue that there is still a need for this lifestyle. According to Delaney Miller, “Much like climbing, dirtbagging is a way of life. …it is about putting being outdoors and living simply over normal societal aspirations. It is the pursuit of adventure over predictability, self-empowerment over the kind of empowerment your boss might give you with a raise. It’s a journey for lost souls to find the self. And in this world, where barriers exist at every corner, where raises are given for appeasement rather than empowerment, where animal husbandry exists for comfort rather than safety, where vaccines and medical care promise health and yet there is sickness, aren’t we all lost? Especially since the brick house and the green lawn and the family dog is not as fulfilling, when realized, as it was made out to be.”
I’m not a climber or a surfer. My idea of an adrenaline rush is to disappear, alone, into the backcountry, and get back out on my own. But I’ve long appreciated the dirtbags simple lifestyle, low impact, and dogged pursuit of their passions. For many years, backpacking was my passion, and as I became more involved in science, field biology became my pursuit. Some of my field biology even required backpacking to get into remote wilderness areas. Now nature sound recording is my pursuit, and quiet areas, free from machines, are my passion.
“Dirtbags aren’t limited to the climbing community. They’re surfers in search of the perfect wave, people that bicycle across continents, or spend their winters snowboarding. They all share a love of the outdoors and a willingness to make sacrifices to realize this. Dirtbags live simply and save money by sleeping in tents and making their own food so they can spend everything doing what they love. The lifestyle is an art that requires a desire for adventure, being okay with not showering for an undetermined amount of time, and letting go. “ (Tara McHugh).
I own a house, 2 cars, and a lawn mower, so these days I’m at best a part-time dirtbag. But I’m also self-employed, debt-free, and devote more time to ridding myself of possessions than acquiring them. My sound recording expeditions, be they 3 days or 6 weeks, are kept simple and inexpensive as possible. Camping, usually dispersed, is the rule, with very rare exceptions for a cheap motel to get out of extreme weather. Heat, rain, wind, and bugs are part of the experience and help me feel more connected to wherever I am. I sleep in my car, cook outside on a propane stove, and wake with the sun each morning.
I recently returned from a month-long expedition with my friends from Ithaca, NY, Lang Elliott and Beth Bannister, to record the northern prairies from Colorado to Saskatchewan. We were supposed to meet in eastern Colorado, but just before I was set to leave, I came down with Covid, and was delayed by a week. They were on a tight schedule, so I planned to catch up with them in the South Dakota badlands. However, that plan was thwarted by a rescue dog I adopted in October. She’s very reactive, and full of stranger-danger. She barks at every person she sees, making her unsuited for staying in most campgrounds. I thought months of intense training and pharmaceuticals had solved most of the issues, but the stress of traveling threw all that out the window. So, the dog and I roamed around remote areas of the Black Hills, and we eventually met up with Lang and Beth in a little area called Castle Gardens, in central Wyoming. What started as a prairie recording trip turned into, for me anyway, a trip to record the areas where some western and eastern bird species overlap. I’ll detail the trip, and provide recordings, in blog posts over the next few months.
Lang has been dirtbag sound recording for decades, travelling with various buddies throughout the US and parts of Canada. When I met him in 2017, I felt like I’d found a kindred spirit. Mostly in a tent, sometimes in a van, he keeps it simple both to save money but also to keep the focus on recording. Even now, in his mid-70s, he travels in a small SUV and sleeps in a tent. His car is modified to carry his sound recording equipment, and to cook out of. I’ve travelled with him a couple of times on previous trips he’s taken out west, and I’ve never failed to learn a lot from him. And of course, he’s not the only one; other nature sound recordists also dirtbag their way around the country and the world, sacrificing comfort for recording opportunities and to hear the natural world less impeded by the sounds of machines. I know several nature photographers, too, who have shunned the corporate world and simplified their lives to pursue their passion.
Dirtbagging is a philosophy and way of life, not an avocation. Being a climber, backpacker, surfer, or even a sound recordist doesn’t make you a dirtbagger, if you’re more concerned about showing off your fancy equipment than enjoying the experience you came for. But if you buck the tide of mindless consumerism and focus on low-impact adventure, rather than bragging about which 5-star hotels you stayed in, you just might be a dirtbagger.
References:
https://www.climbing.com/news/dirtbagging-is-dead/
https://www.climbing.com/people/dirtbagging-is-not-dead/
https://www.theoutbound.com/tara-mchugh/the-art-of-dirtbagging-6-benefits-of-putting-adventure-first