A Short Walk

Appendix: Physical Toll and Packing Logistics

Body Toll: My bodyweight dropped from 185 lbs to 174 lbs during the course of the trip. Upon return, I used bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) to check my bodyfat percentage and then did the math. Of the 11 lbs lost, 8.8 lbs were lean muscle and 2.2 lbs were fat. I suspected that'd be the case since late in the trip I noticed I still had my normal amount of belly fat but that my arms and legs were shrinking.

I also seem to have picked up some sort of skin rash. In Peshawar on my way home, I noticed that there were about ten red spots in a 3" diameter on the right side of my chest. In the nearly three weeks since then, they shifted from red to light brown and haven't faded one iota. Maybe I'll try a topical fungicide.

Of the "Packing List" items from the post I made before leaving...

I didn't even end up taking: a hidden leg-attachment wallet, any type of hat, long underwear, a sleep-sheet sack, a multi-tool or Swiss army knife, any sort of business card or press pass, a lighter or scissors or a razor blade (thanks TSA!), the Lonely Planet Farsi phrasebook, Dari phrase cheat cards, any extra guidebook pages, safety pins, or lip balm.

I brought but never even touched my: long-sleeve shirt, swimming trunks, LED headlamp, miniature (AA) Maglight, duct tape, extra high mA batteries (AA and AAA), and ear plugs. Of the medical kit items, I used three of the twenty tabs of Cipro and all of the Emer-gen-C electrolyte replacement powder. Nothing else was touched.

In retrospect, I should've: worn a pair of comfy flip-flops instead of my sneakers, taken more Western-quality toilet paper and/or wet wipes, wrapped the Nexcare "Liquid Bandage" container in something since it ended up leaking superglue all over the medical kit bag, and taken less paracord with me. I'm not quite sure what I imagined doing with fifty feet but I only ever ended up using about four feet, total. I should've also only taken two little Photon LED fobs instead of those plus a headlamp and a handheld flashlight. They supply a perfect amount of light in a tiny package and are really all I ever needed. Plus, I'd have saved a substantial amount of weight by cutting the headlmap/flashlight and all of the batteries for them.

posted by daviduri @ 11:08 AM