I was hoping to walk 21 miles without encumbrance today, but after listening to my parents' 6:30AM misgivings about the heavy rain, I stayed in bed.
And now I feel guilty. It's not raining as I write this.
But today might be a good day to catch up on other matters; we'll try the 21 miles tomorrow.
To answer two questions from commenters:
1. Why carry 70 pounds? Why not 40-45 pounds?
Because it's good practice (I'm not there yet, of course; I've done only up to 32 pounds), and I suspect there may be regions through which it'll be necessary for me to carry a lot of water. I agree that, realistically speaking, I probably won't be carrying more than 50 pounds, but I still think that feeling 70 pounds will make bearing the lesser weight easier.
2. Why pack your backpack with dumbbells and sacks of flour? Wouldn't you have more realistic weight distribution by packing in items you'll actually be carrying?
On my current hikes, I've been using a smallish Eddie Bauer backpack that's supposed to function more as a bookbag than as something to take on a day hike. The bag has only two straps; it's not big enough to have a hip belt and lumbar support, so no matter what materials I stick in the pack, it'll always hang directly off my shoulders. I already arrange that weight symmetrically, and I'd do the same with the full-scale pack, so balance isn't really an issue here. Had I stuffed the pack with 30 pounds' worth of realistic trip items, I'd have felt the same painful pressure on my left shoulder.
Today or tomorrow, I'm very likely to go buy a mess of supplies, including a gorgeous Gregory pack I saw at REI* when I was there with my brother David. Once I have that backpack, I'll definitely be hiking the GW Parkway bike path with it. I pass by Park Service dudes every day when walking past the tourists' entrance of Mount Vernon Estate, and they've seen me with increasingly heavier loads on my back. The new backpack ought to make an interesting impression.
*The pack costs $350, and it's not part of the REI anniversary sale. Ouch. (By the way, yes, I'm comparison shopping.)
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1 comment:
check facebook when you get the chance ...congratts on the backback ...it's important to shop with reckless abandon (at least when it comes to stuff that truly "reaches out" to you) -just like a rich ajumma in a b/paek'hwa-jeom ^.~
L
xo
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