The sport that preoccupies my mind these days is backpacking the Appalachian Trail (AT) in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley (photos above).
While planning the trip I’ve been careful to lean toward lighter gear. This from a lesson learned during my first trip to the trail in 2001 when I crossed the Shenandoah River at Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia, and immediately had to ascend a steep bluff with a way-too-heavy backpack. This was early November, but it was unusually warm and I paid the price for overloading. That was work. I have read of backpackers who go to unusual lengths to lighten their loads; for example, cutting a couple of inches off a toothbrush handle, trimming the margins of maps to get rid of excess paper, or maybe not taking a tent, just throwing down a sleeping bag and calling it home. I can see the reasoning behind all this. Every ounce counts, and those ounces add up to pounds on your back that you have to carry step after step. I've ordered a backpack that is a full four pounds lighter than my other backbreaker pack. Ultralight but strong titanium cookware is also ready.
Much more planning to do, but the mountains, streams, and wildlife will wait. Shenandoah - an Indian word meaning Daughter of the Stars. Beautiful name, beautiful place.
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