Water bladder, back pack, hiking boot, hiking socks, hiking shorts, rain coat, etc. etc........

For a weekend occasional hiker like me, I am really more a walker instead of a hiker all my life. Before this Mt. Blanc project, I only owned a pair of walking shoes and one walking stick.  The process of learning to to find the right types of hiking boots, hiking socks, back pack, etc.  was VERY gradual for me.  It made me feel so funny when I heard the term of drinking out of a bladder.  Oh, well, I now own a bladder, and have learned how to drink from it properly after 2-3 trips to sporting goods shops.  One just has to learn to ask the right questions, or else the answer is not easy to come. So here I am, ready to go, hopefully: