May 19th, 2009
The woods are never quiet. Especially on sunny days. It’s hard to hear all that much when your hiking. your gear clinks and clanks, your pack squeaks and moans, and leaves rustle under foot. Now and then a chipmunk sounds an alarm, a bird chirps, or a plane passes overhead. But when you stop you become aware of another world. The insect world. The thick blanket of leaves that covers the ground is never still. There is a constant popping of bugs on leaves that almost sounds like a light rain, and a soft motion that goes with it, even when there is no breeze.
I have a heightened ability to spot 2″ x 6″ vertical white rectangles at great distances.
Food exists in a paradox. It and water equate to all of a pack’s “live” weight. Your “dead” or base weight on;y changes when you switch gear. The less food you carry the closer you are to your base weight, which allows you to do longer days. But, if you carry more food, your weight goes up and you do shorter days. This means you need even more food to get to town, leading to more weight and slower days and… Not sure which is best.
