I am currently sitting in Urban Crave at the San Diego airport, I guess this is it… the start of a crazy adventure.
I have a habit of leaving things until the last minute, this action (or non action) is self induced as I thrive under pressure. Yesterday I paired down the items in my backpack trying to figure out what is essential vs luxury to ensure a lightweight backpack. Some of the items I consider as a luxury are gadgets. From what I gather many pilgrims like to track step count, calories burned, miles per hour and log their progress, some carry a GPS device or a Sport Watch. I understand this mentality as I am a competitive person and I like to achieve my daily activity goals, I am competitive with myself and I check my smart watch on a regular basis to monitor my stats. I am never satisfied with one full rotation to indicate completion of my daily goals, I need these rings to show multiple rotations. I monitor my speed with any given activity, my heart rate, elevation gain, distance traveled and strive to constantly improve. The downside is I can get caught up in this information which is why I have decided to forego my smart watch and do this walk with as little distraction as possible. I am sure there will be times I will question this decision but I do not want the focus of this trip to be endurance, I am looking for something more spiritual and soul soaking if possible.
My iPhone is ancient in phone years (2.5 years old!) and the battery drains pretty quickly. I will be taking a portable charger and planning to have my phone turned off but available for emergencies. My iPhone is my only means of blog posts so if I do not post for a while then my phone is likely dead. Expect more than my usual amount of typos as my phone is the mini size and it is hard to see the screen at the best of times. There is one other gadget I had hoped to add… an MP3 player… remember those?! I listen to music often and although many people have told me I should not listen to music while walking I’m not sure that is possible. I routinely submerge myself in music while admiring my surroundings, I can’t imagine walking without music for at least part of the time but perhaps I will have a change of heart. Sadly after exploring every crevice of my old home I could not find my old MP3 device so sadly my music listening will be very limited. I’m kinda bummed about that. Lesson (not learned): don’t leave things until the last minute!!!
An item I am definitely taking although at first thought was unnecessary are hiking poles. After completing a couple of long walks I decided to purchase a really inexpensive pair from Amazon and noticed straight away how more efficiently you walk while using them. I thought they would be cumbersome but I have had no issue getting used to walking with them, I use them intermittently, its a nice way to mix it up a little.
Items I need to add are a utility knife which due to TSA restrictions will be purchased in Spain
Some have asked specifics regarding my backpack. I purchased my backpack with very little research but so far have been happy with it. It is a Gregory Jade 38 litre. Originally I wanted to purchase a cool looking Osprey backpack but the Gregory Jade was on clearance and part of the description read…”FreeFloat ventilated suspension”, “adjustable torso length” and “open-air ventilated back panel”. These three descriptive sentences were enough for me to pull the trigger and so far I am happy with it. The free float actually works, you can feel the backpack twist with your back while walking rather than fighting it and having a gap between the pack and your body is pretty nice especially in warm weather. I will update my thoughts as I get more miles under my belt or backpack, so to speak!