I Wish I Could Walk with Nothing

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. 

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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

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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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