WILD GEAR
I SET OFF from Bluff to walk Te Araroa this summer with a sun umbrella wedged in the side pocket of my pack. The thru-hiker’s obsession with weight is legendary, and in a sub-culture where some won’t even carry pots and stoves, my 193g umbrella drew many comments ranging from incredulity to condescension.
“Is that … an umbrella?” people would say.
