Packing for a long weekend of hiking. Adrian and Eric will be on a scout hike, so I thought I’d take the opportunity and go on a hike as well.

This will be the inaugural hike for my new high-tech lightweight rucksack. It felt a bit strange to pack nearly everything in one giant compartment, but wasn’t as awkward as I had feared. The pockets on the hip belt turned out to be larger than they looked and swallowed a lot of the small stuff, as did the top pocket. And the camera, as always, goes in my not-at-all-stylish but very practical waist bag.

I had vaguely thought I’d go back to the fells again this year, but the Knowabunga threw those plans out of whack by occupying a long weekend in the middle of September, and after that the mountain huts were all closed. Looks like they had a shorter season than usual for some reason.

So it’ll be a lowland hike again. The Kinnekulle trail two years ago was stunning; Kuststigen last year was rather a disappointment. This year I’ll be walking a chunk of Bruksleden. It’s within easy reach (less than 2 hours by car) but far enough to feel like “not home” I hope.