incredible advice. I'm going to try it.

You motivate and teach me all the time Steve. I will take your advice and try not to overthink things like I tend to do and that gets me all worked up into a vicious circle. Thank you Steve

Get out of nature and get back to work! 😊

Lofty Lake looked amazing!

thank you Steve, for encouraging me. I am crying just typing this... I have been struggling with anxiety this last month so bad over medical things that it consumes me and I think I will need counseling too. Getting out is truly healing, so true but I lack the motivation right now too. I so understand what you are battling wtih.

God bless you sir.Im also a recent widower.My wife’s name was Laura also.It’s been 5 months since she passed.Our retirement plans are gone moving to Florida.Im just going through the motions in life right now.We are part of this awful club that we never signed up for.Thank you for posting this!

LOL, I can hug myself all day long or worse...

Great advice Steve, I try to do this every day by hiking by myself and decompressing on trail, even if just half an hour. I am glad the therapy is helping you. You are a strong person and I always looked up to you for all you went through and how you stayed focused and talk honestly about all the emotions you went through.

I think it’s a mindset. I’ve been reading a book called Try Softer. It’s about being kind to yourself. The writer is a Christian.

I'm so happy you are doing this. I've been in/out for years. Therapy has helped me deal with many issues, including abandonment issues from my father. It was bad but 14 years ago, I found out he impregnated my sister in her late teens and removed from the church. He was a Bishop and I had always admired him, being envious of his new family. My redemption was that I was the luckiest sibling of six others. I was the only one who wasn't abused by him and they envied me I may have to go back to therapy soon to deal with the political upheaval (craziness) in the country.

Glad you are in therapy. Self care is so important, and those little things you do for yourself really add up. For me listening to entertainment podcasts, or running to Maverick and getting an Icee ($1.60 for a small) are inexpensive ways to treat yourself. Also rearrange your furniture in a room you frequently use helps mix things up in a positive way too.

Back when I was in high school I had a girlfriend that lived in the Huntsville area and she told me that someone actually committed suicide off that water pipe that feeds above 12th street going across the road there. I wonder if that story is actually true or just a made up story. Looks like it's all fenced off now. They're all about safety nowadays unfortunately. Can't have anything interesting like that.

I have been having similar issues not getting out and making excuses and finding myself depressed when I don't. Like you, we don't have close friends close by other than a few we get together with every great once in a while and most hiking friends are not often available. Whenever I am out with hiking friends, it makes all the difference in the world. I am so glad you got out and you've been kicking your demons all your life and doing well at that Steve. I don't know how you keep going at times with all you've been through. You are an inspiration.

How dare you just flaunt your use of fire in this video. There are a lot of neanderthals cro magnon people watching this video that have not discovered fire yet. But you only think about yourself!

You’re lucky the buffalo was scratching on the pole and not the mirror of your car!

You are right, entering a new decade was very tough for me too. It gets worse every ten years. It was so beautiful out there. Tough times for you for sure back then.

So my kids were swimmers at Ogden High. I was the starter for the swim team for years. Almost every swim meet there was a swimmer who struggled for various reasons and came in way behind the other swimmers. It was incredible what happened ... just as you described in your story ... everyone at that pool ... both swim teams ... staff ... the crowd ... all stood up and cheered that person on. Swimming is the greatest sport in my opinion because of this. It was the most incredible, awesome thing I ever witnessed.

Great video Steve we are all guilty judging each other every day. I just talked about this with what im experiencing in my life. ❤we all have battles

These days, most people dont have old photos. They dont have family history. They dont even know the names of their grandparents.

Thank you so mich for bringing these places to life. Such a beautiful place. My stepfather, a decorated Marine during WWII (Pacific arena) and Korea gave me my love of the mountains and camping but I never got to tell him that before he passed.i. Your son's will carry on your traditions.

I like the edit you did. ❤ I think of this time with you so often. How wonderful it was. So glad we met in real life. Yes isolation can hurt if too much. I went through this myself. A good blend of solitude and friendship is awesome. Yes your world gets bigger for sure. ❤and your heart. Wish we lived closer.

🤗

so true, we found a way. Here's to friends.

Great message, much appreciated. Thank you

🤘👊🙌💪

Great to see you return to your secret spot. I totally agree on being alone being a huge difference from feeling alone. I do need solitude too but also love being out with friends, totally get it. The Uintas were beautiful and we had to laugh when you did the scene in the dark. LOL. What a beautiful campsite. The mashed pancakes looked interesting too LOL. What a view from up there.

You are amazing! Thanks for sharing. Your special secret place and Hope Lake are such beautiful places...your reflection shots are stunning...and you did the "want some?" I've been missing...lol 12 graveyards in a row is burn out material, dude. I'm glad you went back to your special secret place to experience some thing new. Sometimes that is even healing. You have gained so much insight since I first became aware of you. I've been camping many times alone wishing someone was there and I've been camping with people wishing I was alone. I'm never satisfied...lol

It was great coming along with you and hearing your struggles as a parent, I totally get that. I would worry myself sick over that. It reminds me of what a friend of mine is dealing with, her son doesn't like going to his dad over each other weekend...and it stresses me just thinking about what he is going through. So I totally get it. Such a difficult situation and you can't just turn it off. At least I know I can't. With lots of things in life.

How beautiful was that! I loved seeing you at camp and the hash really looked great too. Absolutely loved seeing the old photos and the cabin inside and outside. Wow. Thank you for sharing the rare moments with your two little boys wearing the rain gear and your wife, absolutely adorable treasured moments, she was so beautiful, her laugh and her aura. I love that hardwood flooring. The Loft was my favorite. Hard to believe the kids are all grown. I watched the scenes with your wife and boys over again. Hard to believe. Wow.

I think we have a Betos here in Orem. I love how Scraps reacted to the food when you put it on the car seat. Look at him lean forward and lick his lips. He's such a cutie. I've had a drone hover over my campsite before. I think we should be in our rights to knock them down. It's a creepy way to stalk someone. PTSD is hard to overcome and can only be offset by an equal number or more positive outcomes. I know because I was conditioned to expect the worst and often got it so I've experienced it first hand. You are a 'what if' worrier like I have always been. It will improve in time. Another nice song.

that was very captivating Steve, I know so much about your through your honesty and being open, thank you for speaking out from the bottom of your heart. I can't believe all you had to endure... and I mean, all. I hope you can do what you said on that guys grave one day for sure. Beautiful out there Steve and I am like you, I find peace out there. Scraps looked adorable too. And blueberry goodness! Much love and hugs to you, miss you

Just proves how good of a musician she was. Being able to sing an acoustic live version at the exact same tempo as she sang it in the studio. Laura was unique and special. Her songs Time, Sunshine, and Mask are proof of her amazing singing and songwriting capabilities. And of course who can forget the infamous Yippy Skippy, and the hysterical laughter during Jimmy Santa.

I know you would do it all over again to have her back Steve. Thank you for sharing your pain with us here and I know that it doesn't stop hurting. Yes, you learned to love someone with Laura and she loved you the same. You know what love is. Through Laura. And screw everyone else. It may be impossible to ever love someone else that same way again.

You were very lucky to have had Laura in your life but, Steve, she was very lucky to have had you, too. You were obviously meant to be together and I'm sure she is proud of the tribute you have paid to her here.

Also, i loved the song you sang. Great job!! Do you have the kids for the 24th of July? I think part of the lonliness (if I understand it correctly) is in part an issue in knowing that your son's are not experiencing the same kind of 4th of July celebration you enjoyed as a kid. That one is harsh cause few things make you happier than to see your family happy and vice versa.

We are a sum of our life experiences. I have you by 20 years and always wanted a close knit family. I had that for some years but it isn't that way today. My parents and my dear brother passed away. I only had one daughter and two grandchildren. With their significant others, it leaves 5 of us. Getting together on holidays never works well. I am very proud that I have led a happy clean life but, other than my grandson, it was not that way for the others. Bipolar disorders, substance abuse and some other issues of those type have led to some pretty unhappy holidays. What I've discovered is that people with these type of issues tend to be triggered negatively by any change or. commitment. There were many planned holiday functions where some family members didn't want to be with the others. At first it hurt badly and I had some very bad holidays, all set up nice, where nobody came, even postponing Xmas a couple times. I've learned, over time, to let that all go and just do my own thing. Our best family functions today seem to be those not planned in advance. We do okay with spur of the moment functions. I would be a very lonely person if it wasn't for my pets. They fill such a void in my life and have for at least a decade. I'm also and artist so I would go camping alone and get lost in my projects. Our family political views, too, are all over the place and arguments are common if the topic comes up so we avoid it at all costs. My family does well when they come visit separately (some even stay overnight) so I usually see individual family members a couple times a week. I've just learned to let holidays go so I can experience them in peace. I often do that by not participating in the traditional things I did as a child and being okay with it. Now, I am very content with my life. Once you've had the great love and relationship like you had with your first wife, it spoils you because you want it that way again. I really do believe as long as you don't give up and are willing to try new things, another great love like that will come your way.

I hear ya on missing your family. I miss my family too, they don't live near me at all. It's hardest on my mom, I think. Being alone in Germany. I remember when Tim was deployed spending the 4th alone and man, I felt like I could hear an echo from the silence in my head. You know what I mean? I sat in a picnic shelter at the local park listening to the distant sound of others. Felt totally cut off. A lot of my time being a military spouse made me feel that way, being alone when I was young, just sort of stuck at a military installation with nobody that knew me. In a new country. Awful.

Vice versa…and I had no support either. I dont think it’s a man woman thing. It’s an individual thing. Even my family wasn’t there because they didn’t understand how to help or what to say. also, For whatever reason beyond my control I have had some relationships post death, mostly toxic, and have yet to meet the next “one.” Given up on all of that and have learned to travel, camp, backpack and explore solo.

Another Fourth of July survived, my friend. Hopefully there won’t be too many more before it’s a day where we feel we are thriving. Here’s to future Independence Days. 🤘🤘🤘💪💪

My step dad used to make his own arrows. He'd glue jack balls to the end of our arrows. I once shot a squirrel off a tree limb which horrified me. It wasn't dead so we kept it in big shoe box until morning. It came to when the sun warmed every thing up and ihe squirrel ran off. You picked a beautiful spot. Please don't ever hold back saying things about your wife. She needs to be honored and you need to vent. You deserve the right to express how you feel in your heart and reminisce. Don't hold back on your You Tube channels when you are ready to say things. Your community loves you.

I have so much empathy for you, Steve. And you know I understand 95%. Our experiences have varied a little bit, but the anguish ends up the same. Neither of us deserve what we’ve been given. I’m looking forward to this weekend camping trip, here’s to good times.

FYI, baked beans and hotdogs are the bomb😅. Same with mac & cheese and dogs

They’re so fortunate that they have you for a dad, Steve. Keep up the good work. 💪

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!You are such a great parent!!! That is obvious from this and other videos you've posted. You should show off your boys so these videos fully capture family memories but I understand the privacy. BTW: Baked beans and hot dogs became a camping staple of mine...lol Wow, Pineview is much more crowded than I would have thought. I've never camped there. Steve, in a way, you are lucky because she has stepped back and given up at least 75% of the influence/responsibility on these boys. I've been involved in close family situations where both parents were either actively in addiction or jail. I was about the only stable person in the kid's lives but attempts to gain custody failed. Yes, it had a negative impact on the children but I did everything I could, like you, to give them normalcy. I would have loved 75% of the control but I was usually the one caught between two feuding/hateful dysfunctional parents. I'd like to feel like my hanging in there has had a positive impact on these kids (now grown) because they have not repeated the same patterns of their parents. The parent's hate for one another outweighed their love for the children. It's hard, but I admire what you do...stay engaged because you will be the parent they ultimately remember that was always there for them. Your influence will pay off. Things do get better. They grow up quickly. Now that the kids I've referred to are grown up I love being able to tell the parents to buzz off and I do what I want with the kids today. Loved the message in your song.