Friday, May 15, 2009

advice

It astounds me what people seriously suggest (even demand!) that I carry on the trail with me. Most outrageous suggestions so far include:

* a 7-pound forged sword
* 'A Walk in the Woods', a 2 lb. book about someone else's AT trip

I won't even touch on the sword, except to say that I do own such a sword, and it is safely stashed in a private location, along with my hula hoops.

The book simply baffles me. I will of course be writing a journal, but why would I want to read about someone elses journey while I am on my own journey? One of the major reasons for this trip is to engage directly, viscerally, and fundamentally with the natural world -- its gonna be all about immediate experience and meeting cool people.

The reason I am fixated about weight is that I have been reciting the mantra "lighten up!" for days now, as I have shed well over 1,000 pounds of material objects from my personal inventory. Traditionally I have hiked with a 45-65 pound pack, and that's been for journeys of 3-5 days. The goal here will be to have a sustained trip in excess of 30 days while keeping packweight to *under* 30 pounds including food and water.

Here we go!

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