I don't think I ever anticipated the process of selecting the "right" gear to take with me would be so challenging. Perhaps it's because I'm indecisive. Perhaps it's because I'm a perfectionist at heart. Or both. Regardless of how you might best describe my inability to make a process like this simple, I've made progress. It started with a number of different "gear lists" simultaneously spinning around in my mind for months. After all, if you change one piece of gear, you inevitably need to change a number of other items as well. For example, if you bring a warm hat, you no longer need that extra long-sleeve shirt; if you bring a synthetic insulating layer, you no longer need that fleece; if you bring chlorine dioxide drops, you no longer need that filter for treating water. And the list goes on.
So, it is with a sigh of relief that I announce that as of a week or two ago, I have committed to one option -- for better or worse. It won't be a perfect system, but I'm as confident as I can be that it will perform well. From the tent to the shoes, I've thought through and tried to anticipate a number of situations, drawing from my previous backpacking experience. Time will tell if the sum total proves successful!
Still, no matter how well thought out my gear selection may be, the reality is that as I've filled in the gaps of the gear that I don't yet own, the packages have started arriving. And as they arrive, my anticipation for the trip also arrives in a bigger way. I'll open a box and analyze the piece of gear that's inside it, imagining its use on the trail; as my imagination is sparked, so is my excitement -- with some apprehension thrown in, too.
This week, as the final components of my gear list arrive, I plan to weight each item on the scales in the Calvin mail room. From there I'll be able to calculate an accurate base weight for my trip, which includes everything except the food and water that I'll be carrying for over 2,000 miles. It will also help me to determine what might need to be left at home, regardless of how badly I might want to take it. My goal is a base weight of 15-20 pounds, and the closer to 15 the final number is, the better. My body will thank me, too. After that, it's on to finalizing a food menu and getting stocked for the first stretch of the trail!
