It was mostly meant as a mental exercise, in both senses of the word. I think it would feel good though to have that pack get lighter and lighter. For me the ideal setting would be to one without to much temptation for socialing and a bite to eat. I enjoy those things to, but sometimes I think I would like to extend the solo experience into a deeper zone. As for hunting or foraging along the way, yes that would be interesting to. The intention isn't really to see how far I could go without resupply, but more to set some guidelines for a personal challenge that would lead to solutions that involve a variety of experiences, such as having to hike with a lot of gear, but also efficiently with less gear, and seeing how the body responds mentally and physically along the way.

As for hunting or gathering along the way, I think that's all good, but that may or may not be the best solution depending on the route taken. I can't see myself passing up berries after berries after berries if that is what was to be had. Same with rabbits and restaraunts I should think, if they were available, but they are not always available. My general guideline for such a trip would be that whatever foraging I did do would environmentally acceptable, not slow me down too much, and I would eat most all of whatever I killed. I like to finish my plate. I could be mistaken but I don't think I could travel too far on just rabbit and squirrel meat alone. I agree it would certainly make the trip more enjoyable, but not neccessarily lighter. Personally I would chose a route where whatever distractions were available would be more or less fair game. Perhaps such a trip as I have in mind would preclude most sections of the AT because of the desirability and availability of excellent resupply points, which make it ideal for thru-hiking and such. Perhaps so, but there's always the off season.

For some reason, I like the idea of 40 days in the wilderness. It's a nice round number, but I think it's more than that. Traditionally people travelling on foot would only travel between resupply just a few days at a time, for the same reason we do. Hunting expeditions, or military campaigns could be longer, but the longer ones would really involve moving villages. Fortnights of 14 days were a traditional length for an extended trip away, and could be solo, but were essentially round trips of less than 7 days with a stopover in the middle at the destination. In the biblical tradition, and perhaps others, 40 days in the wilderness represented an extended period away, long enough to introduce extreme mental and physical and logistical challenges that would lead to some sort of mystical personal breakthrough, not neccessarily epic, or world record breaking, but something along the lines of penance, guilt and other burdens optional of course. Whatever gets the job done.

Cheers