View Full Version : Hiker crossing the Bering Straits
Snow Stomp
03-18-2006, 00:46
Karl Bushby is hiking across the frozen Bering Straits right now, from the westernmost point of Alaska to Siberia, Russia.
He started from the southern tip of South America in 1997 and hiked up the length of South America, through Panama and Central America, Mexico, the United States on the CDT, Canada, Alaska, and now into Russia. He will hike across Siberia into Europe, then on to the English Channel and swim across to his home in England.
http://goliath.mail2web.com
His journals and pics are in the "media" folder. Especially hair-raising is his trek from Medellin, Columbia through the dangerous Darien Gap into Pamana.
This guy makes pampered U.S. "long distance" hikers look like couch potato wimps.
The General
03-18-2006, 02:35
Some Journey ---- Some Man (respect)
RITBlake
03-18-2006, 03:07
wow, I just spent an hour looking around on his site. If you think you've had a rough day on the AT, go to the video section under media, and watch the video of Karl crossing Alaska. simply amazing. what a journey!
Trooper347
03-18-2006, 04:09
That Alaska Vid is something to see. Insane yet inspiring. Your right RITBlake, I think of what I am about to try, and he has already gone over 17,000 miles?!?
Thanks Snow Stomp for the link, I look foward to tracking him on his journey.
Whistler
03-18-2006, 11:45
That's incredible. Thanks for the link.
-Mark
What an incredible story of perseverance. Have much more to read still but all aspiring long distance hikers should check this story out.
Thank you Snow Stomp.
woodsy
Where's he get all his free time?
neighbor dave
03-19-2006, 19:03
:-? dudes a machine!!! been watchin' him since mehico. i especially like his pepper sray and tent fire audios!!:banana
fiddlehead
03-21-2006, 00:31
Where's he get all his free time?
Life is all about priorities.
If there's one thing i've learned from long distance hiking, it's THAT!
When I was thru hiking the AT, I met an Englishman named John Merrill in Damascus, VA. He was then walking a 4,000 mile route across the U.S. from east to west, a trek that he wrote about in the book TURN RIGHT AT DEATH VALLEY. It turned out that he had walked the perimeter of Great Britain (7,000 miles), the length of the Alps, and many other walks, totalling over 50,000 miles. I felt lucky to have met one of the great walkers of all time.
And then, you may have heard of George Meegan, another Englishman who went from the southern tip of South America to the northern tip of Alaska in 7 years. He called his 19,000 mile trek "The Longest Walk."
Now comes Karl Bushby's attempt to make an unbroken walk across the planet. It's beyond amazing. The guy totally has my respect. [I thought about doing something similar back in 1974, but didn't have the chutzpah to attempt it.] It's been extremely interesting reading his journals and following his progress. The hardships he's faced make many of us "short-termers" look like picnickers. Let's face it, the trails we walk are like buffet lines.
I would never criticize such an epic journey. As Teddy Roosevelt once said, It's not the critic who counts, but rather the man who is in the arena, whose fall is marked by dust and sweat. But I would ask Karl a few questions. Like instead of pulling a cart across rather blah areas of the U.S., why not send the cart ahead, strap on an ultralite pack, and do the CDT, and then continue on into Canada with that same ultralite pack?
But toss the quibbles into the garbage. And sign me up to buy whatever books and videos are made about this historic journey.
Snow Stomp
03-27-2006, 18:16
From his webpage:
CURRENT LOCATION: Bering Strait, Alaska 26 March 2006
Karl and Dimitri have now crossed over the International Dateline and are in Russian territory!! (albeit the middle of the Bering Straits). They are approximately 28.5 miles from the nearest point in Russia, however there is little chance of them reaching the coast in anything like that distance. It must be pointed out that the 'path' shown on the photograph shows the daily locations. The actual route taken bears little resemblance to those straight lines. K&D are in fact all over the place, zig-zagging around obstacles and water or changing course to a better route.
Karl states the weather is still clear yet 'surprisingly' cold. While this has been useful in slowing down the flow of the ice, life itself becomes a constant struggle to hang on to fingers and toes. It also means there is a lot of extra personal admin to ensure survival. They have noticed the severe cold also brings on fatigue earlier. The ice has taken to drifting north again, although relatively slowly. They drifted just 1.5 miles last night.
Shortly after 09:00 AK (Sat), the ice started breaking up all around, forcing them to just grab the tent and run, dragging it behind.
.
Snow Stomp
03-29-2006, 17:28
CURRENT LOCATION: Bering Strait , Alaska
28 March 2006
Monday turned out to be another good day for Karl and Dimitri. Moved another 6.3 miles in a westerly direction. Although cloudy at times, the weather has remained good and was once again 'warm'. The lads are in good heart but it's obvious when you talk to them that they have heavy colds, however Karl states they are simply working through it. They have at last seen a couple of polar bears, but the closest only got to within 300 metres before veering out of the way. There is still a slow northwards drift and once again last night they drifted 1.5 miles northwards.
So far K and D have had a lot of luck, however they realise it would be foolish to push this and consequently have had to re-evaluate the situation. Their main aim now is to get across the remaining miles as quickly as possible before either the weather / ice or both take a turn for the worse. Accordingly they have dumped some of their equipment, food and fuel in an effort to lighten the load of the sled and therefore move more quickly. It is a calculated risk, but they'd rather take that gamble than get stuck just a day or two away from the Russian coast. So this is it....they are going for broke.
http://goliath.mail2web.com
the goat
03-29-2006, 18:27
CURRENT LOCATION: Bering Strait , Alaska
28 March 2006
Monday turned out to be another good day for Karl and Dimitri. Moved another 6.3 miles in a westerly direction. Although cloudy at times, the weather has remained good and was once again 'warm'. The lads are in good heart but it's obvious when you talk to them that they have heavy colds, however Karl states they are simply working through it. They have at last seen a couple of polar bears, but the closest only got to within 300 metres before veering out of the way. There is still a slow northwards drift and once again last night they drifted 1.5 miles northwards.
So far K and D have had a lot of luck, however they realise it would be foolish to push this and consequently have had to re-evaluate the situation. Their main aim now is to get across the remaining miles as quickly as possible before either the weather / ice or both take a turn for the worse. Accordingly they have dumped some of their equipment, food and fuel in an effort to lighten the load of the sled and therefore move more quickly. It is a calculated risk, but they'd rather take that gamble than get stuck just a day or two away from the Russian coast. So this is it....they are going for broke.
http://goliath.mail2web.com
i saw a picture of this guy road walking, what a cheater!:D
Good Lord! How does he keep those basketball sized "cohones" from falling off?
Snow Stomp
03-30-2006, 14:13
CURRENT LOCATION: Bering Strait, Russia
30 March 2006
Tuesday was, at its very best, disappointing. As they near the Russian coast the ice appears to be even more broken / 'lumpier'. I received a call from Karl at midnight last night, (14:00 Tues AK), stating that it had taken them 4 hours to drag the sled just one mile. Having already shed some equipment they had decided to leave the sled behind, make backpacks from the discarded equipment and take with them only equipment necessary for survival. When I spoke to him again this evening, (08:30 Wed AK) he said they had tried this approach but found that it was even more difficult to get over the obstacles carrying weight on the body. They therefore returned to the sled and are proceeding as before.
Karl also has a problem with the batteries for the satphone. He took five batteries along. One he has already used, the second is partially used and he has now found that the three remaining batteries appear unserviceable. Given that he will need the satphone in an emergency, it may well be that we don't get any updates for the next few days as he tries to conserve this battery. We could really do without this as the next three or four days will be critical and I will be unable to pass on weather and ice conditions. Spare a thought for the boys at this time, and an extra one for Karl as it's his birthday today.
http://goliath.mail2web.com
Tha Wookie
03-30-2006, 15:21
wow -stunning adventure. I've been tracking him for years.
Anyone want to start in Chile to catch up? Sqeaky? Brian?
Sounds to me like an extremely difficult and dangerous leg of the journey. Thanks for keeping us posted, our thoughts are with Karl and his safe arrival to Siberia.
woodsy
Snow Stomp
03-31-2006, 11:56
CURRENT LOCATION: Bering Strait, Russia
30 March 2006
Well.... what a difference a day makes! There is good news and good news. It would appear that the batteries are OK and there was a fault with the satphone. However, it was fixed last night and consequently we now have coms again. Shortly after setting off yesterday (Wednesday) they reached an area of relatively flat ice pans. With the newly lightened sled they took full advantage of this and made an excellent 11.5 miles. Almost twice what had been considered a good day up to this point. Needless to say their morale took a much-needed boost. The weather is cloudy at times with some snow, but just at the moment there is no wind and no ice drift.
The satellite photographs show there's still a good amount of ice in their area and no major open water. It is in fact breaking up in the areas they have come through and they said that last night the moving ice sounded like a freight train. There is, however, a thin 'pencil line' of probable open water between the floating ice and the old, solid ice stuck to the Russian shore. It's possible that this could be hundreds of metres wide but seems to be intermittent and is hard to decipher from the high altitude photographs. This is to their south-west (directly to their front) but it seems more solid to their west. In this case I think we will have to rely on the dynamic duo assessing the situation on the spot.
The saga continues...
http://goliath.mail2web.com[/quote]
Bushby called a friend in Fairbanks, AK around noon Alaska time (4 pm Eastern). Both hikers are safe in Siberia.
In 1987 Lynne Cox swam across the berring straits in less then 3 hours in 38 degree water. It took her years to get her body able to adjust to this cold water. A normal person would be dead in less then 30 minutes in water that cold.
Way to go guys! Beer's on the house!
Congratulations!
sdoownek
04-02-2006, 02:24
In 1987 Lynne Cox swam across the berring straits in less then 3 hours in 38 degree water. It took her years to get her body able to adjust to this cold water. A normal person would be dead in less then 30 minutes in water that cold.
In the interests of giving credit where credit is due, it should be noted that she "only" swam between Little Diomede and Big Diomede Islands, a distance of roughly 2.7 miles, in two hours and six minutes. While in no way am I trying to discredit her achievement, it's vastly different than being the first modern man to cross the full 56 mile width of the Bering Strait in winter on foot.
While I don't want to have this thread degrade into an anthropological discussion about the validity of the Bering Strait theory versus the Solutrean theory, the Bushby crossing does provide proof that peoples could have crossed over the Strait.
Local news story covering the crossing is located here. (http://www.news-miner.com/Stories/0,1413,113~7244~3280908,00.html)
Snow Stomp
04-11-2006, 15:32
CURRENT LOCATION: Lavrentiya , Russia
11 April 2006
E-mails have been received from both Karl and Dimitri, still in Lavrentiya (population 1200). It would appear that within the next day or two a Russian federal judge will decide if and when this case will be brought to court. The charge will be entering the country at a non authorised entry point. They have a local lawyer to defend them and also a translator.
Some of their possessions have been returned to them, including their passports (unstamped). However, all their electrical equipment, as well as skis, poles, dry suits, underwater gloves and sled have been retained for examination. These will be examined by experts as part of the current investigation.
K and D state that they are OK and get lovely home-made meals from their friend Father Leonid, the Orthodox priest who gave them a place to stay. They have managed to find a radio station from Anadyr that plays a mixture of Russian/ US rock n roll which helps to pass the time. They are progressively learning Russian in order to be able to adapt to their new surroundings, relying heavily on a phrase book and dictionary borrowed from the local library.
Snow Stomp
04-11-2006, 15:37
You can read the updates every couple of days on his webpage:
http://goliath.mail2web.com
it's vastly different than being the first modern man to cross the full 56 mile width of the Bering Strait in winter on foot.
This is not the first Bering Strait crossing on foot. The following story is copied here because the URL http://www.news-star.com/stories/032698/lfe_russian.html now requires registration and log-in.
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Thursday, March 26, 1998
Russian duo skis across the Bering Strait
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Last modified at 11:21 a.m. on Thursday, March 26, 1998
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ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- A Russian father and son team braved close encounters with polar bears and a plunge through the sea ice to complete the first known crossing of the Bering Strait on skis.
Dmitry Shparo, 56, and Matvey Shparo, 24, left Uelen on the eastern coast of Siberia on March 1 and arrived Saturday, nearly three weeks later, at Cape Thompson, 150 miles to the east.
This attempt to cross the frozen Chukchi Sea went smoother than efforts in the previous two years, which ended with helicopter rescues.
The two said from Anchorage Tuesday that they saw polar bears each day, including one that stuck its huge nose in their tent the night of March 5.
The Shparos believe the polar bear was hunting them and they were saved by headlamps switched on when they heard footsteps. The bear ran off after the younger Shparo fired a warning shot with a rifle.
"All next nights, we sleep not well," Dmitry said. "Wind all the time, and many sounds outside the tent. We think again steps, again steps."
At one point, they broke through the ice.
"No good for us because impossible to dry boots," Dmitry said. "Fortunately, it was not very cold."
Still, they stuck to their schedule of traveling from daylight to dusk every day, checking their coordinates with a handheld Global Positioning System receiver and tracking due east -- even as the ice moved them constantly north and made them walk a total of 300 miles.
Gordon Thomas, a coordinator for the duo's crossing, said adventurers may have skied the three miles between the Russian Island of Big Diomede and Alaska's Little Diomede island, but none have trekked so far across the Chukchi Sea.
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Another link is http://www.shparo.com/Bering/bering_main.htm
From the Anchorage Daily News. I'm including the text, so you don't have to sign up for an account (although it is free).
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/7628890p-7540496c.html
Russians order man who crossed Bering Strait deported
APPEAL: Setback would stop adventurer's planned walk around the world.
By JUDITH INGRAM
The Associated Press
<!--start /published/index.comp --> Published: April 15, 2006
Last Modified: April 15, 2006 at 02:29 AM <!-- end /published/index.comp -->
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<!-- Component: ADN : component/redesign/modules/primcol/story/inset.comp --> MOSCOW -- A court in the Russian Far East region of Chukotka ordered the deportation of a British explorer who walked to Russia across the Bering Strait for entering Russia without going through a border checkpoint.
The court also fined Karl Bushby, who made the trek as part of an effort to walk around the world, and his French fellow-traveler Dimitry Kieffer 2,000 rubles (U.S. $72), Bushby's father Keith told The Associated Press by telephone.
Bushby and Kieffer, a U.S. resident, have 10 days to appeal, and Keith Bushby said his son would do that in the hope of saving his quest.
"Oh, God, yeah, it's not over yet," the elder Bushby said in a telephone interview. "He didn't come all this way to just give in easily."
The two have been staying in the remote village of Lavrenty, 500 miles northeast of the provincial capital, Anadyr, since arriving in Russia April 1 and being detained. It took them 15 days to make the trek on foot across a 56-mile stretch of the Bering Strait.
Bushby is a former paratrooper who made the Bering Strait crossing from Alaska to Chukotka as part of a round-the-world walk that began in 1998 at the southern tip of South America. He wants to be the first person to walk all the way around the world.
Since the beginning of his journey on Nov. 1, 1998, he has covered 17,000 miles, walking through South, Central and North America. Kieffer accompanied him on the Bering Strait leg.
Bushby said that his son was not surprised by the conviction, but that he had hoped that "given the unique circumstances, the court might have shown some leniency.
"But it's just the carte blanche guillotine, i.e., 'go away and don't come back,' " he said.
Bushby said Russian officials had told Karl he would not be permitted to return to Russia for at least another five years -- a development that would end his round-the-world quest.
"The full enormity of the situation hasn't struck him, I think," Bushby said. "It's like the death of a loved one, it takes time to sink in. You can sit by the bed of a loved one for months, but when they die it's still a shock."
The appeal process could take up to four months to work its way through the court system.
wow....what a story....wow.....i'm gonna tell you something, this guy ain't gonna give in....i bet he will enter in thru the back door at some later time and just do that section and probably with alot of support from within....
It seems strange to me that he didn't make some immigration arrangements beforehand.
It seems strange to me that he didn't make some immigration arrangements beforehand.
Yeah, walking into Russia is not a place where the saying, "It's easier to get forgiveness than permission." applies.
I'd like to know what his thoughts were on getting thru Russia without prior permission. Did something fall thru or did he just he just think it would work itself out?
He is apealing the decision of the Russian courts. This story was just on CNN.
[quote="Bjorkin"]I'd like to know what his thoughts were on getting thru Russia without prior permission. Did something fall thru or did he just he just think it would work itself out?[quote]
They had permission to enter Russia. He had a visa. The problem was that he did not enter Russia at an official border crossing.
It seems strange to me that he didn't make some immigration arrangements beforehand.
They tried, but got nowhere..
Panzer
Snow Stomp
04-16-2006, 02:39
Bushby said Russian officials had told Karl he would not be permitted to return to Russia for at least another five years -- a development that would end his round-the-world quest.
I was thinking they'd deport him but allow him to come back in through a proper port of entry, and pick up where he left off. I hope this is not as inflexible as it seems. A five year bannishment is extreme, and Russia could gets lots of good publicity from letting him back in after six months or a year to finish his trek.
Snow Stomp
04-16-2006, 04:15
I predict that in less than a year, when the media spotlight is off, a deal will be negotiated that will let Karl back in. Right now, Russia has to appear tough in defending its very extensive borders. Especially with all the illegal immigration and terrorist threats today.
I also bet that every Russian official who was involved in this decision secretly admires these two guys tremendously, and would like to let them through. But they can't, due to political realities. Not right now, anyway.
Spirit Walker
04-16-2006, 09:07
I really admire Karl's attempt - but I'm not that surprised at this Visa problem. He's had problems with bureaucracy all the way. He had to leave the US for a few months because his Visa had expired and he discovered he couldn't just renew it en route, then he had problems in Canada. He lost several months trying to get his girlfriend into the US and Canada (finally gave up, I think). I had a feeling that they hadn't made solid arrangements for this ahead of time. Getting a tourist Visa isn't the same thing as saying "I plan to spend a year walking across your country - any problems with that?" He seems like the kind who likes to just wing it - and bureaucrats aren't set up for that kind of attitude. He should have had this one set in stone before he left England. What he has accomplished is terrific - but it really would be a shame to not be able to continue because they didn't make sure of the entry issue ahead of time.
Well at the time he was crossing into the USA, it would have been really hard to do without a proper visa. But I am not going to start on that topic...
the goat
04-16-2006, 22:54
He had to leave the US for a few months because his Visa had expired and he discovered he couldn't just renew it en route,
that's amazing, i live surrounded by people who never even had a visa in the first place, yet they crossed our borders and still live here, day-in and day-out....
hell, if busby would've just taken his sweet ass time crossing the US, we'd have made him a citizen at some point!
Snow Stomp
04-17-2006, 10:44
From his website, it appears he's maintaining a positive attitude and plans to continue even if it's five years from now. As to an appeal, the decision has already been made in Moscow and an appeal will only generate more publicity.
CURRENT LOCATION: Lavrentiya , Russia
17 April 2006
At this time Karl and Dimitri are still in Lavrentiya. As a good number of you will know. the result of the court case was a disaster, especially for Karl. Both K & D are to be fined 2000 roubles ($72 / £41) and deported from Russia. It was stated that they would be given leave to apply for re-entry in five years' time. I received a telephone call this morning, (17th April), from Karl stating that they will lodge an appeal on Wednesday. Two weeks after that they have to move down to Anadyr, the provincial capital, as this is where the case will be heard. There is a good chance that will take place within a month of the appeal being lodged.
Dimitri will launch an appeal as he wishes to return to Uelen in March 2007 to ski / make his way on foot to Magadan, some 2,500 kms / 1550 miles to the south. From there he wishes to take a cycle westwards.
Karl states that life's a bit of a roller-coaster at the moment with one day seeming quite positive and the following negative and full of confusion. Consequently, he's decided to take it just one day at a time, but remains resolute that one day he will walk back onto English soil.
Tha Wookie
04-17-2006, 14:09
man, what a tough thing to face after so many miles.
It's a shame political boundaries can stop this great walk. I am amazed that they are deporting him.
It has been a great hike nonetheless!
Initially at least, this is the way Karl and Dimitri appeared to the Russians when they were arrested (off the website):
"They also had with them detailed maps, navigation equipment and a handgun, as well as satellite communications and a digital video camera."
In all fairness, that would tend to arouse the suspicions of border police.
Tha Wookie
04-21-2006, 08:20
Initially at least, this is the way Karl and Dimitri appeared to the Russians when they were arrested (off the website):
"They also had with them detailed maps, navigation equipment and a handgun, as well as satellite communications and a digital video camera."
In all fairness, that would tend to arouse the suspicions of border police.
yes, and if they did a background check they would have found that Bushby was a paratrooper in the British Army. I agree, I mean, what else could raise suspicion
RockyTrail
04-21-2006, 10:21
Security risks aside, as intriguing as it sounds to walk around the world, some people simply do not understand the motivations for such a walk.
Some people live in a totally different existence than most adventurous hikers, and they often have authority, badges, and guns.
We should not be surprised that Mr. Bushby has run into difficulty although I wish him well.
An interesting reader comment was posted as per the lasted update, http://mediablog.mail2web.com/goliath.exp/blog/archive/2006/04/4352/#comments that makes is seem like the expedition may not have been as prepared as it could have been:
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"On the issue of travel across the Bering Strait, there is a special agreement on visa-free travel for natives resident in commmunities along the coast. There is still a requirement to obtain an official invitation issued from the Russian authorities for travel to the Russian side.
In 2004, a similar crossing was made by two Canadian adventurers, although they were in a small row-boat. They intended to circle the planet in an entirely self-propelled manner, and they also ran into bureaucratic troubles in Chukotka. In their case, they entered with the appropriate documents and through one of the designated ports of entry (Provideniya). However, they were later forced to hire a local guide to accompany them to the border of Chukotka with Sakha, as that is a requirement for any travel in a special border area.
Their website is http://www.expeditionplanetearth.com/index.html
Hindsight is 20/20, but it is truly unfortunate that Karl did not contact one of the designated tourism operators listed on Chukotka's official website (www.chukotka.org) (http://www.chukotka.org)). They would have been able to explain the visa regulations and to act on his behalf in Chukotka. There have been many successful crossings of the Bering Strait by various expeditions, and most of them have not met serious paperpwork difficulty.
A final point. There is an MDM Bank in Anadyr, with branches at both the airport and in town. You can take cash advances from a VISA card from them, and they also have Western Union transfer services.
Always do your homework."
--------------------------------
Tha Wookie
04-26-2006, 16:04
An interesting reader comment was posted as per the lasted update, http://mediablog.mail2web.com/goliath.exp/blog/archive/2006/04/4352/#comments that makes is seem like the expedition may not have been as prepared as it could have been:
------------------------------------
" There have been many successful crossings of the Bering Strait by various expeditions, and most of them have not met serious paperpwork difficulty.
Always do your homework."
--------------------------------
I bet most of them weren't british special forces, either.
The site has been updated:
http://goliath.mail2web.com/
It looks like the Expedition will continue!
A news story is at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/humber/4975988.stm
Tha Wookie
05-05-2006, 18:58
The site has been updated:
http://goliath.mail2web.com/
It looks like the Expedition will continue!
A news story is at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/humber/4975988.stm
Yes! Best news I've heard all day.
I was hoping they would make and exception for exploration over political boundaries.
Snow Stomp
05-06-2006, 01:34
5 May 2006
:sun
Karl and Dimitris' appeal hearing was heard at the court in Anadyr on 5th May. It was decided at that time that the initial deportation order should be overturned. K & D will now be allowed to walk through Russia. It is believed that once they have retrieved the equipment held by the authorities they will return to Alaska, where Dimitri can return home and Karl will have the chance to re-equip and begin getting together the paperwork for his return to Russia.
In the best possible case he will return to Uelen at the very start of next winter to begin the walk where he was picked up by the authorities. He has decided to cross that region during the winter, despite the extreme cold, as it has numerous rivers, lakes and wetlands which would make a crossing in summer even more difficult. A great weight has now been lifted from Karl's shoulders and the courts generous decision is the icing on the cake that was the Bering Straits crossing. The expedition as a whole thanks the authorities of the Chukot region for allowing Karl to continue his dream.
little bear
05-07-2006, 21:00
My hats off to this man. I hope he is able to finish his dream and his hike
Snow Stomp
07-21-2006, 23:59
http://goliath.mail2web.com/Journals/letter_June2006.asp
I'll bring this thread back to life on the news that Karl Bushby's epic journey may be "on again."
From his web page, August 25, 2010:
http://www.odysseyxxi.com/
Those of you unfamiliar with Karl's effort can get an overview here:
http://www.hemispheresmagazine.com/2010/11/01/the-long-walk/
Many other sources of info in this thread.
Good luck, Karl...
Harrison Bergeron
12-31-2010, 08:58
Sorry, can't help pointing this out... He not only seems to be dragging an enormous rickshaw, but I bet that pack is well over 60 pounds. Something tells me his first aid kit is more than some duct tape, a needle, and a roll of dental floss.
Maybe I won't feel so foolish now when they weigh my 40-pounder at Neel's Gap next year.
the goat
12-31-2010, 09:35
Sorry, can't help pointing this out... He not only seems to be dragging an enormous rickshaw, but I bet that pack is well over 60 pounds. Something tells me his first aid kit is more than some duct tape, a needle, and a roll of dental floss.
he's also not likely able to hitch to a fast food joint & grocery store every three days.....:rolleyes:
M1 Thumb
12-31-2010, 10:24
Sorry, can't help pointing this out... He not only seems to be dragging an enormous rickshaw, but I bet that pack is well over 60 pounds. Something tells me his first aid kit is more than some duct tape, a needle, and a roll of dental floss.
Maybe I won't feel so foolish now when they weigh my 40-pounder at Neel's Gap next year.
Why feel foolish over your pack weight? Its your pack, your gear, and your hike. Why even bother having it weighed at Neel's Gap? If you have decided that the gear you are carrying is what you need and want, why expend the energy worrying about how it compares to another.
Best wishes on your travels!