Backpacking Trip Part 1

Today I went shopping; I bought oatmeal, crackers tuna, ravioli, propane, and a whole bunch of other stuff.  Wait...propane? Yep, I'm leaving tomorrow for a three day backpacking trip with the Outdoor Club of Virginia Tech in Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area.   We will be hiking on the AT from Scales to Creek Junction, covering about 21 miles total.  Along the way we should see some awesome fall colors. I won't be posting tomorrow because I'll be on the trip, but I'll post a special update on Sunday with pictures.

First off, here's my backpack.  It's packed with all my gear except a propane fuel tank and my water filter. Another hiker in the group will carry those to help split the weight.  Speaking of weight, I'm not exactly sure how heavy my pack is, but its nowhere close to the heaviest one I've carried.

This is my first backpacking trip since I've arrived at Virginia Tech, and I've discovered I forgot to bring a few things with me.  First, I only have one water bottle with me, and instead of being a lightweight Nalgene, its made of metal! Instead of having to carry that, I loaded up on six bottles of Virginia Tech's finest Hokie Water from Owen's Food Court.  The cashier must have thought that I was nuts for buying six bottles of water at once.

I also forgot to bring a headlamp, one of the things that I think is a must-have for camping trips.  However I managed to come up with my own DIY solution.  Meet the Bike-light:

 It's a lightweight headlamp made from an old bicycle inner tube, the headlight from my bike, and, of course, duct tape.  It may not look like much but it should work well for this weekend.

Well, thats all I've got. I'll see you on Sunday; dirty, smelly, and with lots of pictures!