decisions, decisions

I don't think my Leukotape is going to make it here in time for my walk. GMarket still lists it as "shipping soon: seller has started preparing your item for delivery[,] and it should leave seller facility in the next few hours." I ordered the fucking thing on September 9; the Leukotape, by all rights, should have arrived over a week ago. What's the holdup? Well, no matter: I went without last time, and I can go without this time.

So the Leukotape doesn't present any sort of dilemma: if it arrives, it arrives; if it doesn't, it doesn't. But I've been thinking about some other things, like

• what if I did the hike without my backpack? It's theoretically possible.
• what if I did the hike without my orthotic insoles?

The second dilemma is easier to resolve: I'll start off with my orthotics, and if they give me too much pain, I'll be carrying my regular insoles, so I can switch the orthotics out if needed.

The first dilemma presents me with a very strong temptation. The only real reason to carry my backpack is that I have to camp for four days out of the 28 days I've planned to be on the path. I could save myself two camping days by walking 60-kilometer stretches twice; the fourth camping day would be at an actual campground, so I'd at least need my foam roll. Walking without the backpack would mean far less strain on my back and feet (I know—some of you will be tempted to bring back the drag-a-stroller-behind-you suggestion... I've looked into that, and those carriers are pretty damn expensive), which would make for a much more pleasant hiking experience.

The argument against leaving the backpack behind is that, whatever the discomfort, I'd be encumbered, which means I'd be expending more calories per day, which means I'd be losing weight faster than I would were I unencumbered. Also: the pack contains items that may become necessary to use or to wear, especially as the weather goes from cool to outright cold. I can't use my day pack to take all these items because the day pack hangs straight off my shoulders. In other words, there's no hip-belt assembly to relieve pressure on my spine, whereas with a hip-belt assembly, the back pain isn't quite so bad.

I've thought about designing a pack that's based on a Scottish kilt: it hangs straight off the waist and puts zero pressure on the spine as a result. There'd be straps and pockets for gear, but nothing that would cling to one's back.
I don't know what such a "trekking kilt" would do to you in terms of friction against the legs or annoying bounce-bounce-bounces incurred by the motion of walking. I have no idea what the implications would be for the legs' range of motion. Such a kilt, once loaded up with gear, would definitely shift a walker's center of gravity pretty far downward. Would that be a welcome change? I think it would be, but such a shift might cause other, yet-unanticipated difficulties. Hmmm. Much to think about, I have.

So I guess the above dilemmas turned out not to be that difficult to sort through, after all. Well, good: I have only a few days left before I train out to Incheon this coming Friday night.