Hillbilly Ben

Perhaps I can blame the Army, but it was in my nature even before to take more than I needed more often than not. Lately I've been working on a packing list for long distance hikes (3 weeks or more) and I can't seem to get my total weight (from base layer out to pack) under 72 pounds. That doesn't seem like that much to me now, since it's pretty common for me to carry as much as 80-90 pounds for my miscellaneous professional duties. But if I consider hiking 250, 500, or even 1000 miles, I could see that load becoming unwelcome. Deprived of the choice I would obviously do it, but when hiking recreationally that just doesn't sound fun. And fun is the reason people hike, right?