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A ranger on the Kungsleden pointed at my water bottle and I finally got why my pack felt like a brick
I was about 40 miles into the northern section last month and my shoulders were killing me, so I asked a ranger at the Saltoluokta hut what I was doing wrong. He picked up my bottle, shook it, and asked how much water I was carrying between refills. Four and a half pounds, every day, because I kept topping off at every stream out of habit. He said the trail there crosses water every couple hours, so I started carrying one liter instead and my pack felt totally different by the next morning. Do you all plan refills by distance or just carry a set amount no matter the route?
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andrew85426d ago
Noticed this pattern everywhere once it clicked for me. People haul around way more than the situation calls for because they never stop to check if the need is actually there. My buddy brings three jackets on a day hike in July just in case. Coworker prints every email since 2019 because what if the server dies. I used to carry a full tool kit in my trunk for a car I drove twice a month. The ranger pointing at your bottle was really asking a simpler question: what are you actually afraid of running out of? Usually the answer is nothing, because the refill is closer than you think.
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