A guy on the Salkantay trail told me my pack was way too heavy and he was right

I was maybe 3 hours into day one near Mollepata, already feeling the altitude and my shoulders screaming. This older dude from Oregon just walks up and asks what I'm carrying. I said like 45 pounds maybe. He said no way, you're probably closer to 55. I got defensive at first but then he offered to help me sort stuff on a rock. Almost half my bag was just 'what if' clothes and a tent that weighed like 8 pounds alone. He pointed out I had three pairs of pants for a 5 day hike. Ended up leaving a bunch of stuff with a hostel in Aguas Calientes. Hiked the rest with maybe 30 pounds including water. Whole trip changed. Has anyone else had a stranger's advice completely rearrange their packing?

2 comments

2 Comments

lee6275d ago

Did you read that piece in Outside magazine last year about how most people bring way more than they actually need on trails like Salkantay? I heard somewhere that over half of what new hikers pack is basically just anxiety layers and backup gear they never touch. It's wild how one honest stranger can just flip your whole setup around.

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coran635d ago

Honestly, isn't that article kind of missing the point though? Those 'anxiety layers' can literally save your trip if the weather turns or you get stuck out there longer than planned. I'd rather carry a few extra pounds and never need them than be shivering in a rainstorm because some stranger convinced me to ditch my backup.