The first time I remember exclaiming the humble expression 'pack light' was during the preparation for a multi-day hike of 3 days along the Jurassic Coast, from Weymouth to Poole.
My wife and my brother-in-law are asking me for some advice on what to put in the backpack, and the thing I insist on the most, after a few years of experience, are those two words: ‘pack light’.
‘Less is more’ (but the meaning is the same as 'Pack Light' in this context) is also the phrase that many months earlier I continued to repeat to my group while we wait for the jeep that will take us from Santa Marta to the beginning of a 4-day trek along the Lost City Trek in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, precisely in Colombia.
The origin of 'pack light' can probably be traced back to hiking in my case, to wandering through mountains and trails around the world, and if we want to pinpoint a period and an event, it could coincide with my Camino de Santiago in April 2010; in that case, it was mainly about minimizing the impact of weight on the back and joints and maximizing the enjoyment of the experience.
But from hiking, one can easily transition to a life lesson; 'pack light' understood once again as 'less is more'; metaphorically, 'pack light' is a rejection of the superfluous, a ruthless and precise selection of what we really need and what, at times, even reluctantly, we decide not to bring (and carry) with us.
It also means, in a certain sense, returning to find human happiness in the satisfaction of basic needs and in the (partial) rejection of the superfluous, fashion, selfies in the 'trendy' place, and the forced ostentation of the current social media.
‘Fashion impairs function’ as I read in a book on hiking gear, and I couldn't agree more.
Food, clothes, shelter as the only concern and source of happiness, here and now, nothing else, as someone would say.
Pack Light in an extended sense also means leaving without burdens, understood as prejudices or mental blocks, preconceptions or mistrust, with the predisposition to adapt and live life to the fullest, without regrets.
This blog aims to be a collection of stories from my hikes, primarily serving as a logbook of the walker along his adventures and reflections along the way.
If you enjoy reading me, you are more than welcome to be part of the community, and if I have inspired even just one person to walk and embrace the philosophy of 'pack light,' then this blog will have achieved its goal.
Condivido al 100%. Sempre un passo avanti Davide! Grande! Orgogliosa di te!