New Gear!

REI is my version of crack. I'm addicted to that store. Yeah, you will pay a little more, but hands down, they have the best customer service, very knowledgeable staff, and probably the most customer friendly policies I have ever seen. Not to mention the fact that they host an abundance of free clinics on everything from Orienteering to Avalanche Training (I've attended both).

Due to this, I make it a point to give them my business. Today was a little slow at work, so I cut out during lunch and made a trip over to the Denver Flagship REI. This place is awesome. It has everything an outdoor enthusiast could want. It even has a 30 ft tall rock climbing wall in the middle of the store. Pretty cool.

Since the hike is less than two months away, I thought it would be prudent to obtain a somewhat crucial item for hiking...a backpack. I've actually tried a couple out and have returned them both (again - REI lets you return anything...ever) so I figured its time to buck up and just choose one already. I've done my research. I've looked at all the specs. I've read all the reviews. Why is this so hard? It might be my inability to make decisions. Hmmm....

Anyway, after trying a few more out and grilling one of the sales guys (who, by the way, really knew his shit. He hiked the Pacific Crest Trail) I landed on the Osprey Kestrel 58. I won't bore you with the details, but I think I've found my pack! And while wandering around the store with the pack, fully weighted on my shoulders, I browsed the hiking pole section.

Now I've never used hiking poles before, but the people who do use them, they say its the only way to go. Plus, they are supposed to take a lot of the pressure off your knees, which for me, is the one area I think can doom me. I think my mental state is there. I think my physical fitness will improve on the trail. Its just those damned knees.  I guess training for and running a marathon didn't help, but I truly fear that if I drop out, my old man knees will be the reason. Let's hope they are the miracle workers everyone has been telling me they are.

Thanks for reading!

-Frank