Poles and Undies

Undies
(By popular demand!)
So, here's how life works when you carry everything you have on your back up and down mountains each and every day. Things simplify. Suddenly a distinct feeling starts that really, a lot of stuff is not necessary. Thus the hiker's wardrobe:
1 Pair Pants
1 Pair Shorts
1 Short Sleeve Shirt
1 Long Sleeve Shirt
1 Sweater
2 Pairs underwear
2 Pairs socks

If I only get two pairs of underwear, they had better be pretty great underwear. Since they were on sale, I decided to invest in three (extravagant, I know) pairs of space age underwear.
The underwear come in a package reading "17 Countries. 6 Weeks. And one pair of underwear." They are supposed to be quick drying, odor resistant, antibacterial, non-bunching, breathable and moisture-wicking. Mine are lilac, but I'm hoping the red photo will allow you to see the texture a bit. They are the weirdest underwear ever. Soo platicy and yet, so fabricy, but also really waffly. I wore them skiing, and I would not call the experience life-altering. They feel like normal grandma underwear, and I never noticed them throughout the day. I guess that's the point.

Poles

In the general theme of always needing more gear, I recently became convinced that I need trekking poles to hike 'big miles' and not have my knees fall off, and generally make my life as a hiker happier and more productive. Poles are hard to shop for, since they all look really similar, and there are lots of brands/features/price range ($20-$150!). I went for the seemingly best brand, middle of the range model ($80 marked down to $50). Walking around campus with my pack on made me think that they are going to be a good idea in the long run. And, best of all, they let hikers do cool tricks! If you can't tell, that's a fast running icy river that the lovely hiker is jumping over. Awesome.

Oh, and here's a song for the day. For some reason every time I hear this song I think of the hiking and being at peace with the outdoors. I never paid attention to the lyrics, which have nothing to do with it, but something about the sound of this song...