These boot were made for walkin'...

Did a little training for the big trip today...Liane and I hiked the Trans Canada trail from the section just west of Morden (by the Lake Trail) to Stanley Park and back. This was the first hike I've done with a close-to trip weight pack...weighed in at 55 lbs (25 kg on Liane's scale). I can hardly lift it with one arm...Liane has to help me get it on my back. I'm guessing it'll be 60 lbs when I've got everything for the trip, but it will get significantly lighter during the day as I drink the water (we have to carry at least 8 litres of water every day because there's no water supply along the trail). I can hardly wait...it's less than four weeks away now. I think I might be able to get used to the weight, and hopefully I can train quick enough to handle the roughly 15 miles a day we'll be hiking, but I'm not sure how I'll handle the heat. Everyone I've spoken to who has done the trail says it's ruthlessly hot after May, and we're going at the end of June, beginning of July. Normally I enjoy the heat (anything less than 35C is fine by me), but when you're lugging 60 lb over 15 miles, heat can do some nasty things. blisters. chafing. rash. no water for showers. yee haw.

But did I mention I'm really excited? This is about as close to an 'expedition' as I may ever get.
photo by Warren Thiessen Copyright 2005