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WALKERS’ MAXIMS
Carry less, see more.
Own less, be more.
Have more skills, need less gear.
The greater the distance, the lighter the pack.
Carrying more is not the same as being better prepared.
Gear changes, principles remain the same.
Prepare for most possibilities, not every possibility.
Take care of the ounces and the pounds will take care of themselves.
Eliminate, then minimize, then lighten, then multi-use.
Beware diminishing returns: fatigue is heavier than gear.
Haste bends maps.
Walk steady for efficiency.
Walk longer, not faster, for distance.
Measure duration first, distance second.
Actual distance traveled is about a quarter less than perceived distance traveled.
Start cold and walk into warmth.
Warm and wet is fine, cold and wet is not.
Dry and air feet nightly.
Carry no more clothes than you can wear at the same time.
Clothes and gear should perform efficiently in the broadest range of conditions.
Waterproof-breathable is an oxymoron.
Winter necessitates redundancy.
For warmth, spend ounces on down.
For strength, spend ounces on sleep comfort.
Heat loss to the ground is faster than heat loss to the air: ignore R values at your peril.
Your highest priority in winter is staying dry and warm.
Your highest priority in summer is staying covered and cool.
In cold, it is easier to stay warm than to get warm.
In heat, it is easier to stay cool than to get cool.
Your body is the most reliable source of heat.
Your sweat is the fastest way to lose heat.
Dry, freezing weather is easier than wet, cold weather.
In extreme heat, retain moisture with loose layers to slow evaporation.
Refined carbs tighten joints, spike insulin, weaken the heart, and feed cancer cells.
Train the body to fat burn with low carb inputs (whole food) and low carb outputs (walking).
Walk a few hours before breakfast to get two breaks for the time of one.
Sip, swish, then swallow to slow water.
Overlong breaks increase liters per mile.
Water consumption at rest is about two-thirds water consumption moving.
Storm worthiness trumps interior volume.
No need to save seconds pitching, cooking, and decamping when you spend hours walking.
Strengthen ties of kinship through the outdoors.
The ultralight mind is free of debt.
Disconnect.
Love Earth.
Intend a noble purpose.
Lift your horizons and see the Divine.
© A. R. Khan
