Hi everyone,
This past weekend I went to buy my backpack at the REI in Michigan. It’s one of the things needed for training in April to give us ten days to pack it, hike with it, and basically give it a trial run before living with it for a year. It took about three hours in REI before settling on a pack. Jill, the awesome patient person that helped us, first measured my torso, picked out a few bags, changed hip belts, weighted them down with 50 pounds, strapped them on, and then let us walk around for about 45 minutes with it in the store. Definitely a good idea to get the pack now and start hiking with it before training. Fifty pounds is not easy just to throw on your back and go with! When I took it off after about 45 minutes, I felt like I was losing the Siamese twin I never had. The good thing is that I felt very petite without it (probably because I sweat off 5 lbs in the process). My new best friend is green and gray, and has a capacity of about 85 litres. It was exciting, this first big purchase, and likely the most important as it will be holding my shelter, clothing, and year’s possessions. It will go everywhere with me! I think I need to hold a naming contest….
