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A thru-hiker in his 70s told me I was carrying too much weight on the PCT
He said my 45 pound pack was basically a rental payment for pain and after I ditched half my gear at the Warner Springs swap box, I actually started enjoying the views instead of just staring at my feet, has anyone else had a random stranger completely change how you pack?
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pipergonzalez1d ago
The part about staring at your feet instead of the views really hit home for me. That's exactly where I was on the JMT a few years back, carrying a 50 pound pack because I was scared of being cold or hungry. Met a guy at a water cache who told me to weigh every single item and ask myself if it was worth carrying for 50 miles, not just whether I might need it someday. I ended up mailing home my full sized pillow and extra stove fuel, and my hips finally stopped aching by the second week.
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webb.xena19h ago
The part about staring at your feet instead of the views" hit me hard too because I had a buddy who did the exact same thing on the Long Trail last summer. He packed like he was going to war with a 55 pound pack and his knees were screaming by day three. A random trail angel at a road crossing basically told him the same thing about asking if every item was worth carrying for 50 miles and he ended up ditching his camp chair and a full bag of books at the next hostel. After that he said he actually started looking up at the mountains instead of just watching the dirt pass by under his boots. Funny how a stranger can see what you can't when you're too focused on being ready for everything.
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