Gearing up for Mountains of Pain

Super excited. That's how I feel right about now. 5 days and counting before I embark on my next adventure. Finally I will be experiencing the famous GR20 or fra li monti which takes me across island of Corsica - at least across the more mountaneous northern part of the route.

I have been daydreaming of this particular hike ever since I came across a wonderfully written article on GR20, which was published in one local magazine (sadly available only in Finnish). The story tells about an author and his son who decide to attempt GR20 as their first longer hike. It goes on length describing the agony, fear and sweat they had to go through on this particular hike, which has been dubbed as the toughest long distance trail in Europe. The title of the article refers to "mountains of pain".

I remember thinking already back then when I first read this article, that it is funny how I feel tempted to attempt the same even though the article does describe the journey as truly onerous and partly life threathingly perilous. Why would I be intriqued to spend my finite vacation days in such an ordeal. I just re-read the article yesterday and again the same paradox left me clueless. I hope I am loaded with answers to this question once I'm back.

Having completed a test packing with my planned equipment yesterday, 6.0 kilograms seems to be the weight of my backpack -- without food and water at this point. That seems to be quite ideal. Additionally I am also happily patting on my own back for feeling to be more in shape than I have ever been in my life. I'm ready. Bring it on!

Laptop is not going into the backpack - even if a proper self respecting nerd would not leave home without it.