Assume I will do stupid things...

Holding true to my assumption that I will do stupid things, I've updated my list of assumptions with a very basic principle one would make when going on a hike.  Essentially, I will be hiking/walking.  Another no brainer, but the trees got in my eyes for a moment.

And so it goes...

Art of the Gear - Preface

Gear, gadgets, gizmos, hardware, tech, cheaters, it is what makes a trip hard or easy, but not in the way most would think.  Having the latest and greatest, the most expensive or complex pieces of gear will not guarantee success or comfort on the trail.  A complicated item that was intended to be a boon to one's trip may turn into a lead brick that does nothing but take up space and break one's back.  Those items will quickly be pitched from the edge of a ravine in frustration.


This series will cover my personal gear selection methodology as it applies to my own needs, philosophy, and budget.  If some or all of it applies to you, great.  Be sure to apply your own criteria and judgement in gear selection though, because not all of you are fat, balding, middle aged, nearsighted, arthritic, middle income, stubborn, intellectual geeks with sleep apnea.

Logistics of a Long Walk

To quote Samuel L. Jackson's character Mitch in the movie The Long Kiss Goodnight, "Do not make an assumption, cause when you make an assumption, you make an ass outta you; and umption!"

Making inaccurate assumptions about walking 2100 miles can do one of two things, scare one off completely from the idea if it is unrealistically assumed the worst is bound to happen, or get one in a world of hurt if an overly optimistic, nothing can happen, rose colored glasses approach is taken.  One of the sageful things I have learned in life, which comes mainly from

The Road More Well Travelled.

When I was, oh, between 12 to 16, I had a subscription to National Geographic Magazine that my grandma was kind enough to give me as a birthday gift every year.  There are three things I distinctly remember that came from that subscription.  First and foremost, which will stay with me as I am sure it will so many others my age who saw it, is the famous photograph of a young Afghan girl on the front cover.  I only remember it and find it important to me because she is the same age as I am, and she has intense green eyes.  There but for the grace of God (and a Y chromosome) go I.

The second thing that interested me, as most won't admit to perusing but is a known fact males my age were compelled to review, was all the wonderfully exotic women, nude or otherwise, to fuel my teen fantasies.  I credit N.G. for my very eclectic taste in the ladies, and for starting me down the path of my dignified, refined