When you plan on walking 200 miles with only what you have on your back, that doesn’t leave a lot of room for extras. I have been talking to advanced hikers who give me information like “rip a book in half and swap when you’ve finished your half” – um, sacrilege and not going to happen on this trip I’ve been warned and warned not to carry absolutely *anything* that is not necessary.
But that’s not really the way I work. Here is my list so far of unnecessary but “necessary to me” things I’m taking with me on my Border to Border New Hampshire Walk:
- A Saint Christopher’s medal – I’m not Catholic but in the words of my mom “why take the chance?”
- A change purse – to hold all the money we find on the way
- A writer’s muse – in this case it’s a little stuffed mouse
- An extra pair of underwear – traveling for 14 days with only 2 pair seems just, so barbaric.
- An extra pair of socks – see above.
- Blood Orange body lotion – just a little is enough to wake me up in the morning
- Books – did you really expect me to go 14 days without reading a book(s)?
- Skirt – yeah a skirt, I want something to wear at the end of the day that’s not shorts (relax, it’s lightweight)
- Motrin PM – totally necessary – goes on that list
I have an ongoing bet with what the total weight of my pack will be when we start the walk. One friend says it will be 16 pounds, another 18. I’ll try to keep the load as low as possible, but there are just some things that a girl’s gotta have.
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Wendy Thomas writes about the lessons learned while raising children and chickens in New Hampshire. Contact her at [email protected]
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