Christmas came early this year for me. Julie and I exchanged gifts yesterday and she gave me this wonderful new Gregory Triconi backpack. I am hoping to do more outdoor adventuring in the coming years and backpacking is high on my list. After opening and fitting the backpack, I suggested we take advantage of the unseasonably warm weather and try it out in Rock Creek Park. Julie agreed and after eight miles of hiking, I'm very impressed with the design and comfort of the pack. It was only loaded with about 10 pounds of gear, but I am very optimistic it will be just as comfortable under a full load. We'll find out sometime in Spring when we revisit Shenandoah National Park.

Appropriately, I gave Julie a personalized world map so that we may document and display our travels. The world map is made by Jessen Media and comes with an engraved plaque.