Tips from an old pro

We got to thinking on our last trip...and that's always a reason for concern. But here are a few tips we'll share. Not that we, personally, have ever done these things, but....

1. It is always easier to lift up your pack when you are not standing on the hip belt.
2. It's easier to cook on your gas stove when you remember to bring the fuel.
3. In a pinch, last year's campfire permit can make up for the fact that you forgot to bring TP.
4. Bug repellent in your pack is worth two bug repellents left in your car at the trailhead.
5. Waterproof boots are only waterproof if you keep the tops above the water.
6. The cairns you are following may have been left by a lost hiker who was never found again.

1. The blaze you're looking for is usually on the tree you're leaning against.

2. Game trails can be good shortcuts - if the game is going to the same place you are.

3. It's usually darkest before the storm; the lightning brightens things up considerably.

4. The Law of Inverse Gravity: aluminum beer cans get heavier as they get emptier, until they're too heavy to carry when completely empty. (Yes, this is intended as a slur to litter louts.)

Those are good, Glenn.

And salt and sugar look very much alike, but taste very different in your morning coffee...

People who say my pack will get lighter with experience overestimate my intelligence.

Or maybe it's just that we get older faster than we get smarter?