Well, there’s just 10 days or so to go before I leave for Anchorage – time then to begin this blog.

Bizarrely, I’m in the position of being almost fully packed – normally, this simple task is carried out but a few hours prior to a frenzied, deeply stressful dash to the airport. The bike is even boxed by the door. No more tinkering.

To balance out this anomaly, I’m in the more familiar position of being overwhelmed by how much work I still have to do… so no change there.

Wild camping in the Brecons.

A night out camping in Wales proved a good chance to further hone setup on offroad trails, and cast a beady eye over what I’ll be carrying. What with a netbook, my Nikon DSLR, a couple of lenses, a solar charger and various electronic gizmos entrusted with the role of providing aural pleasure, it’s considerably more heft than I hoped (techy post to follow).

But each to their own. I always remember Frenchman David slipping into his well-worn 501s after a long day in dusty Tibet. At the time, I didn’t get it: it struck me as ridiculously indulgent. Seems I’m finally learning what my own priorities are, as I’ll be bringing my own pair of feelgood jeans on this trip, whatever the weight… (which, as it happens, is 664 grams)

Good acoustics: a necessity.

Everest and David le Francais, in his 501s.

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