Nice trip report Philip,
sounds like the weather was pretty ideal and looks like you're happy with your setup, very comfy and with a 17*C minimum no wonder the 20*F burrow was too warm
.
15kg isn't too bad really, my usual load is about 18kg's and thats with about 4 of camera gear so we're pretty similar (my base weight is about 10kg).
Pity about you feet though, it sounds like they are a bit of a mess, I've had similar problems finding boots that agree with my broad feet and I've now gone back to my army issue GP's for bushbashing walks, they're well worn in and I don't have any problems with blisters or discomfort even when its wet. Most of the time though, 75%, I wear a pair of canvas Dunlop Volleys, they're not the most durable shoes (what would you expect for $45) but I like the fact that they are so comfortable (I find shoes with inbuilt arches make my feet ache after a very short time whereas the Volleys are flat inside and I can walk in them all day with no problems). Don't get sold by the marketing hype of all the brands out there... I also always
try and keep my toenails clipped before going out too because theres nothing worse than walking downhill and kicking your toes inside your boots, that sucks.
I've actually been looking for a pair of sturdy gaiters to wear with my volleys though because they don't offer a lot of protection against scrubby undergrowth or bitey things like snakes and I can gaurantee that our snakes are awake and up and about for the summer as I had a close encounter with two brown's yesterday in the space of ten minutes. I was doing some soil tests for work which entails digging some holes by hand and taking some samples for the lab and the banging of the shovel into the ground must have attracted one which came right up to me whilst I wasn't looking and stopped about an arms length away behind me. I turned around to pick up a plastic bag and got a huge shock to see a 1.5 metre snake just looking at me. The thing wasn't frightened at all by my presence, seemed more curious than anything but when I jumped back it appeared like it was going to strike for a second and then just turned around around and slithered off. I had to throw a stick at it to help it on its way. Thought I'd add that as the grassy track you were on looked super snakey
Nice vid too by the way.
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