The Backpack System

The Backpack System 🎒

So, my backpack, as I mentioned in one of my earlier blogs, completely backfired, right?

It was supposed to be the best of the best of hiking backpacks. Top rating, glowing reviews, highly recommended by everyone. Yet somehow, it just didn't work for me. The ventilated mesh back that everyone seemed to love was absolutely horrible on my back. It poked and rubbed in all the wrong places and made every hike feel far less enjoyable than it should have been.

Naturally, I did what any sensible person would do

I started Googling every backpack imaginable🤣

I compared ratings, sizes, features, colours. Was I after a 22-litre or a 25-litre? Did I want orange or red? Because colours are extremely important, obviously. 😂

In the meantime, I decided to use my old floral backpack for this week's hiking expedition.

Now, this Billabong backpack has been everywhere with me. If it could talk, it would have some incredible stories to tell. Good stories. Funny stories. Probably a few embarrassing stories too.

As I was using it again, I found myself wondering:

"Hang on... what's actually wrong with this backpack?"

I've always loved it.

It has multiple compartments that perfectly satisfy my need to have a special place for every single item I carry. It has a dedicated section for a jacket. The innermost compartment holds my headphones perfectly. The middle compartment keeps passports and important documents secure and easy to reach.

This backpack has had my back through so many stages of life.

In fact, it was practically the one backpack all along.

And surely it deserves to come to Everest.

It has to.

After all these years, it can now proudly boast that it has seen Everest too. 😂

Since I still wanted a little bit of orange in my setup, I decided that the backpack rain cover could be orange instead.

Problem solved.

So I purchased a bright orange rain cover from Kathmandu. That made me unreasonably happy.

🍫 The Fanny Pack Situation

Another item repeatedly recommended by experienced trekkers was a fanny pack.

Apparently, it is perfect for carrying all the things you need quick and easy access to while on the trail.

In my case?

Snacks.

Lots and lots of snacks.

Granola bars, protein bars, chocolate bars, jelly snakes (which, for the record, are the only snakes I willingly tolerate).

I enjoy munching constantly, and I genuinely cannot imagine trekking for hours without randomly reaching into a bag for something edible on autopilot.

I also enjoy chatting while hiking, and I suspect I'll end up talking to plenty of people along the way.

But equally, I love disappearing into my own little world with music blasting through my headphones.

A world where all my favourite songs know me.

I also talk to myself quite a lot.

She gets me. 😂

That reminds me...

I still need to download all my music.

I'm not entirely convinced reliable internet is a thing high up in the mountains, so onto the ever-growing Everest preparation list it goes, joining about a thousand other things I need to organise before departure.

Coming back to the fanny pack, I decided to go with a Lululemon one.

Not a newly purchased one, of course.

Instead, I'll be borrowing the one my daughter has generously agreed to lend me. It was originally gifted to her by my sister, so she either generously or grudgingly volunteered it for Everest service.

Either way, I'll take it. 😂

So the bag problem appears to be officially solved.

✅ User Acceptance Testing Phase

We now have a shoe system.

And we now have a bag system.

The bag system is currently in its User Acceptance Testing (UAT) phase before progressing into rigorous parallel run testing phase and eventually deployment into production aka GO LIVE Phase.

That's the Principal Consultant in me talking. 😂

The backpack system needs to comfortably carry around five kilograms in total.

Which is perfect, because I don't think I can carry much more than that without excessive huffing and puffing anyway.

Slowly, I have been adding weight to it and testing it during my hikes.

The good news is that my heart rate didn't shoot up like it did last time.

It's still a little higher than I'd like, but it's improving.

Progress, right?

I've also booked an appointment with my GP to discuss it because, well, I'd rather avoid having a heart attack on Everest.

Being cautious seems like a reasonable strategy.

My daughter certainly thinks so.

She worries about me in her own quiet way.

While we were moving apartments and I was busy setting everything up, she wandered over one day and quietly told me she was worried I might push myself too hard and collapse while she was at school.

I assured her that wasn't going to happen.

Yet somehow she still managed to convince me to go to bed early that night. 😂

To be fair, I suspect she may have wanted the house to herself so she could sing at the top of her lungs.

But it was very sweet.

She has also done her own research about Everest and whether it is safe or unsafe.

Sometimes she feels like a little old soul living inside a child's body.

Recently, while attending a friend's birthday party, she managed to call me from her friend's phone just to let me know her phone had become locked and that I shouldn't worry.

I asked her how she remembered my phone number.

Her response?

"Remember all those mornings when I was little and you made me repeat it before school?"

Let's just say my heart was boiling happy after hearing that. ❤️

🎒 The Backpack System: Officially Approved

✅ Backpack - Carries the important stuff.
✅ Fanny Pack - Carries the snacks. Arguably the more important stuff. 😂
✅ Rain Cover - Carries the hopes and dreams of keeping everything dry when the Himalayas decide to be unpredictable. 🌧️🏔️.

🌼 An Unexpected Lesson

Remember to practise with your gear.

Don't feel pressured to buy everything brand new.

In fact, I realised something interesting during this hike.

It wasn't completed with the fancy hiking backpack.

It wasn't completed with the newest backpack.

It was completed with my old floral backpack.

Turns out the mountain didn't care what backpack I was wearing. 🏔️🌸😄

And was I comfortable?

Absolutely.

Was I happy?

Absolutely.

It reminded me that sometimes we don't need the newest, fanciest, or most expensive equipment.

Sometimes the things we've had for years work perfectly well.

Old is gold, as they say.

Practice.

Practice.

Practice.

I'm continuing my pursuit of Vitamin M.

M for Mountains. 🏔️ M for my name. Double M. Clearly, I was destined for this. 😄

Stay consistent.

Stay intentional.

Be patient when becoming someone you have never been before.

Build a life you are proud of.

Be gentle with yourself while rebuilding.

A setback is often just a setup for a comeback, preferably one with a little style.

It's all part of the journey.

Keep going.

Keep growing.

Become someone you would love to be.

And remember:

Don't run away from yourself. Wherever you go in life, you'll always be there❤️🏔️✨

❤️