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Spent 3 years carrying my backpack wrong on the Appalachian Trail
I was hiking the Georgia section of the AT last fall and my shoulders were killing me by mile 8. This older thru-hiker named Pete stopped me and asked why my hip belt was hanging loose. I told him I thought the straps did most the work. He laughed and showed me how 80% of the weight should sit on my hips. Tightened that belt and suddenly my 35 pound pack felt like 20. Has anyone else had a basic hiking skill completely pass them by for years?
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