The searching..

Last few days I have been searching. I have booked myself for the tour du Mont Blanc. 9 days of trekking covering 140 km of mountain trails. Going to be tough. I have not trekked that much for a really long time. Grown older too.

And what I am searching for is something that would make it easier to walk this distance. A good backpack. Last few days have been about demystifying terms like high density 1000D polyster, bar tacked stress points, adjustable sternum harness and what not. Good fun and very useful. Why? Because a good backpack can make a 15 kg load seem like half by transferring the weight where we can bear it better. A well padded waist harness (actually a hip belt since it goes around there) can balance the weight so that your shoulders have minimal load pushing them down. But a poorly chosen one can do just the opposite dragging each step leaving no time to enjoy the scenic landscape.

The search is almost over. The decision almost made. The journey has already started!