Grand Odyssey

A Fireman's Take on an Extended Outdoor Pack

- Scott Finazzo

Hiking the Grand Canyon from the south rim to the north rim is a challenging hike that'll test you mentally and physically - perhaps even spiritually - but will compensate you with an experience steeped in unique natural beauty. At the end, it'll fill you with a feeling of accomplishment that's almost overwhelming. Most people who've hiked rim to rim will break it up over multiple days to lessen the physical burden and to take more time to enjoy the journey. That's the wise way to do it.

Three fellow firefighters and I decided we were going to take things a step further and hike rim to rim to rim - across the canyon and back. Not only that, but we did the initial south-rim-to-north-rim trek in one day, and then broke up the return trip over three days. This itinerary dictated we carry four days' worth of supplies on our backs from one rim of the Grand Canyon to the other, factoring in gear that'd account for snow and ice at the rims and triple-digit heat at the bottom of the canyon, with over 24 miles and 11,000 feet of elevation change between the two points.

The Pack

For this expedition I used an Osprey Kestrel In my mind, a 48-liter pack is too large for an overnight hike, but too small for thru-hiking, so it seemed to fit our agenda. Osprey has a reputation of being relatively affordable and highly durable. I needed a pack that was tough and dependable. The backpack itself weighs about 3.5 pounds and has several features that were important to me. The Airscape ridged back panel that allowed my back to breathe, the multiple accessible pockets, side zipper access to the main compartment, and "stow on the go" trekking pole attachments were all key components that fit my personal backpack checklist. Additionally, the zippered waist strap pockets provided quick and easy access to smaller, commonly used items.

The Contents