Trekkin' Time

Time to go for a walk. I have six days, and there's this 136 miles of uninterrupted trail north of here calling my name. Tomorrow night Julie will drop me off at Croton Dam and I'll be on my way north to M-115 northwest of Mesick by foot.

When I start, I'll be a day behind three friends. The plan is to catch up to them by Friday night, which should be immensely doable, provided they don't decide to walk any faster than planned.

One way to accomplish this is to travel fast and light. So here's a picture of what I'll be carrying.

No, I won't be lugging a can of beer. That's in there for perspective.

For a little more perspective, look at the map in the back mesh pocket. That map is 8.5" tall. So the pack itself is only about 20" tall.

But to be honest, the backpack as pictured is still missing my 1-liter water bottle (I'll purchase a wide mouth soda on the way up there), a little cheese, my credit card, driver's license, iPod shuffle and forty bucks.

And to be a bit more honest, I will be meeting Julie at a campground Thursday night and picking up another five days of food...so that little depression in the top of the pack will be filled too.

Needless to say, I like to travel light. My best guess is that the pack as pictured weighs about 15-17 pounds, and the pack with the five days of food should be in the ballpark of 20.

I'll fill you in on the hike when I get back.