The Weight We Carry

Thru-hikers focus on and spend lots of money on packing low-weight items in their packs. The goal weight is twenty pounds of items to last them the length of their hike (compare that to the fifty-pound suitcase for a week-long trip). Hikers know they will be carrying the weight of everything they’ll need (stove, tent, first aid, food, water filtration, extra socks, fire starter, and so on) and ruthlessly fight to select only the most lightweight, multipurpose, and essential items in their pack (Mariposa, “The Top Backpacks on the Appalachian Trail: 2016 AT Thru-Hiker Survey,” The Trek, November 10, 2016, https://thetrek.co/appalachian-trail/the-top-backpacks-on-the-appalachian-trail-2016-at-thru-hiker-survey/). We should take this approach when considering the invisible weight we are willingly carrying in our emotional baggage. What can we get rid of? What isn’t essential? What will promote or protect our health on our journey? What has been proven true and helpful for those who have hiked this journey before us?