My experience with backpacking has come a looooong way.  When I think back to that first trip backcountry with Michael Fineman in 2002, I laugh at the naive boy I once was.  After going through Tom Neiman’s survival packing list (and ignoring the big disclaimer at the top that it was NOT intended to be an all-encompassing list, but rather suggestions to individually consider) … my pack for this first trip probably weighed 60 pounds.  Everything from jeans, to cotton sweaters, multiple swim trunks, water shoes, campground shoes, repair kits, extra fuel canisters (yes multiple) … you name it, I packed it.

Ah, what bliss these past 10 years have brought!  With each trip back to Montana, I evaluated the “necessities”, realized I never used those extra tent poles last time … and lightened my load considerably!  By my 2008 trip to Glacier Park with El Benno, Maximus, and BK Broiler, my pack weight was down to a cool 50 pounds.

And then Max set a challenge.

And as we all know, I do not back down from a Max challenge.

For our 2011 trip to Yosemite, Max and I were going to attempt Lightweight Backpacking.  Officially, lightweight backpacking refers to base pack weight (the weight of a backpack plus the gear inside, excluding consumables such as food, water, and fuel) of 20 pounds or less.  After months of preparation, weighing, cutting, weighing, filing, weighing, buying, sewing, and again weighing … I hit the trails with 24.6 pounds on my back and an additional 9.2 pounds in food/water.  I was 33.8 pounds lean … and that was for winter camping which included 4 lb. snowshoes!  If you subtract the snowshoes, I was at just under 20 pounds and it was fantastic.

But now a new bar has been set.

This summer Max, Gelperin and I will hit the trails again in a much warmer climate, and my base pack weight will be under 10 pounds as I attempt the Ultralight Backpacking experience.  I’ve been doing my homework, reading my books, and following the Gossamer Gear blog.  Come July 4th, I’ll be 10 pounds or less and running laps around Max. 

Bring it on.

Did, umm… did Caesar live here?

Well, its that time of the year again.  Hello Neiman is off to Vegas, and who knows if I’ll return.  Maybe I’ll strike it big and move to Maui, maybe I’ll lose big and get buried in the desert … or maybe I’ll wake up in a Presidential Suite at Caesar’s Palace with a missing tooth, tiger in the bathroom and baby in the closet.  Hey, its Vegas … you never know.

Even though Alex just bought a car, I’m about to buy one, Fineman has a wedding to plan for, and Mikey V is … well, he’s a Vegas Virgin, I think it will be a trip for the ages.  I can already see the screenplay for The Hangover 2 in the making.  Of course, we all know who would be which character, but I felt it necessary to depict the group in an artistic rendition of the original cast.  Mikey V is the comedian (that isn’t allowed with 200 yards of a school … or Chuck E. Cheese), Sasha is the pretty boy sweet talker who steals money for children, and obviously I’m the straight shooter toothless wonder who thought he was going to Napa!  Oh, and Fineman?  Fineman is Doug.  We all know how he can play the disappearing act like no other, and well … he is the one getting married.  For the sake of the photo, though, I felt the baby needed a new head too.

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!  … except for…

So funny story.  First it was the Appalachian Trail (sorry Benjie), then Australia, then almost Hawaii, and finally settled on Europe.  This September, Hello Neiman is finally adding “dirty American scum” to my list of personality traits.  Last night we finished finalizing the plans for my 4 country, 10 day European vacation with Mirra.  Rome/Vatican, Interlaken/Switzerland, Paris, Amsterdam … yeah its a lot in a little time, but after 28 years, its about time I saw the red light district.

Basic itinerary is set (meaning trains and hostels/hotels booked), but I’m looking for fun things to do and since everyone else I know went to Europe without me, fill me in on the must see’s and do’s while there!  I’m thinking I’ll have to relive the path of the Illuminati in Rome, kill a Caesar at the Colosseum, go Canyoning in Interlaken, buy a hotel in Bratislava for a nickel, drink a bottle of $500 French wine and pass out spread eagle in front of the Eiffel Tower, and at minimum … kick 3 robot dancers in the balls.

I’m ready for Europe, but is Europe ready for me?

“Fascinating! Semmi, look at this! America is great indeed. Imagine a country so free, one can throw trash on the streets!”

It’s been a long week here in DC, but I’m headed to the big apple tomorrow with Grant to show those Yankees (Hage, that is a historical, not baseball, reference) how well the Midwest Movement can party it up in the big city.  Going to see Letterman and Fallon, hitting up every Kosher deli in walking distance, hit up Broadway, check out the infamous NY club scene, pop in on some old family and friends, and basically have the usual weekend debacles … only this time drinks are twice as much, the streets are twice as crowded, and my 3 am Big Mac run will be twice as delicious.

New York City.  Since I’ve never really been there, I am sure I will fall in love and want to move there.  It happened with DC, it happened with Chi-town, it’s bound to happen with NY.  I think the bottom line is that I just can not be happy in a small-town wannabe downtown city like Minneapolis.  It’s time to see what a real night on the town is like in the city that brought us Gordon Gecko, Peter Parker, and Ninja Turtles.  Cowabunga NYC, let’s do this!