Through the alley between two estates on the trail from Lyon to Le Puy-en-Velay, France 2009.

Making Light ~ Get Rid of It

It’s never too late to lighten up…

It’s almost inevitable, no matter how hard we try. Somehow, something extra ends up in our backpacks. A week down the trail and you start wondering, “Why did I bring this? Or maybe you just end up with something extra, which can easily happen for any number of reasons.

Depending on what it is, where you are, and who you’re with, you can easily take control of this most unwelcome situation.

Get Rid of It. You can:

• Give it away
• Leave it at a hostel
• Leave it where someone can find it
• Mail it home
• Recycle it
• Throw it in the trash
• Call it what you want, but dump it

Whatever you decide, the sooner you do it, the sooner you’ll reap the rewards, and quite possibly, make someone happy.

Getting rid of something doesn’t necessarily mean you’re carrying something you shouldn’t have brought – it can simply be an opportunity to shed a few grams (or those all important ounces!) that you can do without.

On my one of my walks in France, I received a roll of tape in a re-supply package. After a few days of testing it for blister prevention, I decided I didn’t really need it, and preferred the Leukotape I was already using. So one afternoon, when I stopped to cool my jets, I left the new roll on a rock beside the GR65. That evening while I was eating dinner in a café, I heard some walkers at a nearby table discussing blisters. One of them had developed a hot spot late that afternoon. A fellow pilgrim said, “Hey, I’ll give you some tape. I found a really nice roll on on the trail this afternoon!”

How cool is that?

Bottom line: If you don’t need it ~ Don’t carry it ~ Get rid of it!