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I Wish I Could Walk with Nothing

8/8/2016

4 Comments

 
Picture
At the end of my walk across the narrowest place in Thailand
Everywhere I go, I am carrying. Not a piece, or a gun, but stuff. I'm carrying a wallet or at least a credit card/ATM card, keys, cash, cell phone, power bank, cable for the power bank, headphones, lav mic, camera, mini-tripod/selfie stick; the list is always much too long. I am at the point now where I want to walk with nothing. A little cash in pocket and I'm fine. Doing so when going out for the day is usually no big deal, going on a long hike is being ill-prepared. Being ill-prepared can kill.

I plan to walk from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai in approximately five days. Twenty-five miles a day, more or less, would get me to Chiang Mai in five days. Anything can happen though, so who knows, maybe I'll get to Chiang Mai in four days (doubt it), maybe it will take a week. Along the way, I'll need food and water, and since I wish to document the trip, a camera, memory cards, extra storage space, microphone, batteries, cables, power bank, wet wipes, a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a tent. There is more, but this is off of the top my head.

I have started the list of items I'll need and in order to do the walk and film the journey, I'll need far more things than I want to bring to be safe and a little comfortable. Each item, each piece of paper, plastic, metal adds weight, which will take its toll on my body. The more weight I carry, the more energy it takes to move forward. To make sure I only bring what is necessary, I made the first draft of what I think I'll need for the journey. I'm sure I can eliminate some of these items by departure day. 
Esbit CS985HA 5-Piece Lightweight Trekking Cook Set with Brass Alcohol Burner Stove and 2 Anodized Aluminum Pots
Camera Equipment

iPhone 5S,
GoPro 3 Silver
​Fuji XE-1
Lav mics (2)
Batteries
Memory cards
Selfie stick/Mini-tripod (1)
 Camping Equipment

​Backpack
Sleeping bag
​Tent (Small)
Swiss Army knife
Lighter
Metal coffee cup
Water - I do not have a camelback (yet) so I will be carrying large and small water bottles and buying more anytime I can. I would rather be loaded down with water
​than be without.
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Clothes

Handkerchief - to cover the dome
Shorts (2) - One on, one in the bag
Underwear (3) - One on, two in the bag
Socks (3) - One on, two in the bag
Shoes (1) - Trainers or hiking boots - haven't decided yet
T-shirts - One on, two in the bag
Long sleeve shirt (1)
​Rain pancho

Miscellaneous

Toothbrush / Toothpaste
Aspirin / Flagyl
Drapolene (for chafing)
Glasses
Sunscreen
Wet wipes
Electrical tape / Duct tape (not sure this is going to make the cut)

Hand cleaner - no sticky hands when handling camera equipment
Canoeing the Congo: The First Source-to-Sea Descent of the Congo River
To be completely honest, I am unsure of whether or not I can complete this trip. Walking across Thailand, aside from getting lost, was only a one day trip. It was easy really. At the end of the day, I went back to my guesthouse and had a good sleep. It was only one day.

The road I am taking from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai (Route 118) is one long road which provides little opportunity for getting lost. However, this is a nearly one week walk, not one day, I'm fairly sure I'll be camping out, and the repetitive nature of the trip may take it's toll on my hip and on me. It will be a war of attrition. I am anxious to see how I hold up, physically and mentally. I plan to do more trips like this, in Thailand, Southeast Asia, and hopefully at some point, in various countries of Africa. Why? Because I want to. That's all I can say, because I want to.  
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4 Comments
Mark Hasslinger
8/21/2016 07:46:54 am

"Because I want to", is the best reason possible.

Reply
Scott Mallon link
8/21/2016 08:16:37 am

I also like, "Because I can."

Reply
Rick (the fool) Lenegan
8/21/2016 02:02:14 pm

When will you leave?
Are you carrying an A-frame pack, and if so, have you made any particular modifications to the hip belt? You can carry a lot more weight easily if you keep the heaviest stuff up high and lean the weight into your forward momentum.
But that's nun o' my business.
Good luck Scott.

Reply
Scott Mallon link
8/21/2016 06:21:16 pm

Hi Rick,

I'm leaving Tuesday afternoon, start the walk early Wednesday morning. No A-frame. No hip modification. I am not carrying much and the walk is only about 5 days. I have a camelbak on the way, but it won't be here in time. In the future, if I take any more strenuous trips, I'll probably use the camelbak in conjunction with a Molle system. For this trips I have a couple of lightweight cameras, a tent, very little clothing, batteries, wet wipes, trail mix, a few other accessories and the only real luxury is a stainless steel cup to make coffee in. Hopefully everything will work out, because I want to do progressively more difficult trips.

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