The Big test: do my shoes give blisters, is my backpack too heavy..etc?

My gear is almost complete. I have new shoes, a tent and backpack, a compass, a gps, a spot locator beacon, first aid kit, walking poles, shorts, a hat..etc So this week I put it all in my backpack, and the backpack on the scales: 8 kg minus sleepingbag, clothes and food/water. Not too bad :) But I wondered: what if  I would be fed up with the weight of the bag within the first hour of hiking....!? In that case, I would be in big trouble.. :)

So the next sensible step seemed: put the pack on my back and walk the most challenging day walk I can find. I chose Roy's peak, 1578 m high and an 11 km return walk.

It was a pleasant day. Fortunately my shoes felt comfortable and the backpack felt like a ,not too heavy, extension of my body. The walk was awesome. At the top, the wind was quite strong and the clouds came in. There were big patches of snow. A great winter-tramping experience.

So no signs of discomfort (yet ;).  I quess I am ready to hit the trail :)