I've mentioned a few times over the last couple of months my desire to hike the 51 mile Highline National Recreation Trail end-to-end. Well, it looks like I'll finally get a chance to attempt it next week. Currently I'm well within the planning phase, mapping out daily distances, water sources, possible campsites, etc. Believe it or not, this is my first time planning a trip without the use of a guidebook. I'm finding the process a little more challenging, but much more enjoyable. This will also be the longest solo hike I've ever attempted. I'm definitly looking forward to spending some quality alone time in the woods.
Since I'm in the process of testing the 75 liter Osprey Xenith pack for Mountain Gear, I plan on packing heavier than normal with the goal of testing this load hauler as accurately as possible. With that goal in mind, my gear selection for this trip has been more traditional. I'm not an "ultralighter" by any means, but usually on a weekend trip my pack weight is about 20 pounds (including food and water). I'm guessing I'll be closer to 30 for this trip.
I'll spare you the details about gear selection for now. As a blogger, I'm still undecided about the level of detail I wish to include in my blogs. I have gotten some criticism in the past for lack of detail, mainly the absence of certain specifications in a review I wrote about the Solo Stove. I tend to write what I like to read, and frankly I find long gear reviews and trip reports bogged down with statistics and product specifications quite boring. At the same time, I don't think the lack of detail somehow deminishes the educational value of the story.
Now I'm rambling... Time to get back to my maps.
