And Down the Stretch We Come

After a week at the beach, eating everything in sight and 75 days till Big Bend, it is now time to get back to work. Back in the spring the Big Bend trip just seemed to be a dream. It was fun to talk and think about but it was always so far away. In addition, I knew that getting in shape was paramount to getting to go so everything seemed to not be real.

Well, reality is now starting to set in. I have taken the necessary steps to get ready to go. I have gotten into one of the best conditions I have ever obtained. I have lost about 60 pounds, added a good deal of muscle and my cardio-vascular conditioning is above average. Best of all, I have not had a cigarette in over a year. I still want one but I have not come close to smoking one.

I am now entering the last phase of the program. I will be fine tuning my conditioning by concentrating my efforts on cardio-vascular work at an incline to get ready for the tough up-hills and down-hills that await me. In addition, I will work on my core strength to help with balance and pack weight. Working on the core can be very boring but in the long run pays dividends. You cannot see much outward difference in your body but you can sure tell the difference on the trail. You are much more confident in your balance and steady with your burden.

The new thing in backpacking is called lightweight or ultralight backpacking. This is simply reducing the amount of weight you carry on your back to enjoy the experience more than just feeling like a pack mule. At first I was sort of put off by the idea. Many of the anonymous souls on the message boards were trying to make it a contest as to who could carry the least amount of weight and still survive in the wild. But the more I studied the concept the more I understood what the underlying idea was: Carry enough gear to be safe but make as many things in your pack multi-functional.

With the new silnylon material that is on the market you can really reduce the amount of weight that you have to carry. Instead of taking a 5+ pound tent, I will be taking a 8 x 10 tarp out of silnylon that only weights a pound. I have reduced the amount of first aid gear and repair gear down to a more manageable level. I am bringing a grease pot from WalMart rather that a whole mess kit and saving almost a half a pound. Rather than bringing a heavy ground cover I am bringing a piece of Tyvec that is used in the housing industry. The list keeps on going but I will not bore you with it anymore.

Suffice it to say that I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. When I start writing those kind of cliche's you know that I am ready to go.