If you you find yourself saying "Hey, that's a good idea," to more than one of the following, you might be an ultralight backpacker. They are collected from various lightweight backpacking forums. For those of you that don't share our passion for ultralight backpacking, let me explain that these are funny, but also mostly true stories. You Just Might Be An Ultralight Backpacker If...

• Your wife's purse holds more stuff than your backpack.
• You pack light for a family trip to Grandma's house.
• You use the fruit scales in Walmart to determine the weight of a possible new piece of gear
• At home you use just 4 toilet paper squares, to "practice".
• You read that last one and say, "toilet paper?"
• You have no idea what the title, scale or contour interval of your map is because.... you cut away all of the margins to save weight.
• You sleep at home with the temps turned down while in the buff just to get used to the cold so you can take an even lighter sleeping bag.
• The thought of 1000 fill-power down gives you a little shiver down your spine.
• You're glad you're going bald.
• You're wondering if your compass would still work OK without all that heavy liquid.
• Your woman says, "Go down baby!" and you hop out of bed hootin and hollarin and order a Western Mountaineering Highlite!
• You no longer have tags on any clothing you wear.
• Your mailman is trying to figure out why people send you empty boxes all the time.
• You eat with $40 titanium chopsticks instead of a plastic fork because they weigh .01 ounces less.
• You walk through the grocery store thinking "saltines have 1760 calories per pound, but mixed nuts have 2720 calories per pound".
• Your waterproof/breathable rain jacket cost more than your best suit.
• You shave ALL the hair off your body to save a few ounces on your "from the skin out" weight!
• Your trail runners weigh more than your multi day pack.
• You know the weight of your backpack, and not your wife.
• You have to take your tent down to use your combination spork/toothbrush because you used it as a stake.
• You compulsively weigh things you have absolutely NO intention of ever taking backpacking, just because.
• You take laxatives before a trip, just to "lighten the load."
• A Note To Backpackers: You might be an ultralight backpacker if you can easily come up with more of these from your own experience.
  

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A couple moth ago I visited my friend at his shop in the centre of Arusha. He wife was also in the shop. She works from home sewing curtains to sell here, it is a real family business. They are such a nice family with absolutely no problems. I escorted my friend’s wife home in the early afternoon and as we returned the house was ablaze. The concern, the panic was for my friend’s two daughters - aged four month and four years – they were trapped inside.

Four houses burnt down that afternoon. We had happened was the babysitters boyfriend had visited. He had got upset, poured paraffin over himself and set himself alight. He died in hospital later that night. The babysitter died two days latter, and two days after this the four month old baby died from her burns. At the time of writing, little Brenda aged four, battles for her life. There is no house insurance here – well not for our community. Everything was lost savings, clothes, furniture – everything. This is all part of working voluntary and working at the grass root level. Everyday every week someone you know dies a tragic and unnecessary death. It is not just the HIV/AIDS laying waste here it is everyday life. Usually it is just the lack of money that causes all these pointless deaths. I am tired, so tired of burying people here. So why do I tell you this - what is my point. How can you help, what can be done?


Visit Africa, come and visit us for a holiday. Use an operator whose profits actually help the community. Not some company with a halfhearted project but choose a company that is really helping at the grass roots – making a difference. Not a marketing ploy to make tourists feel better and the company richer. There are companies that exist to help the communities of Tanzania, in a proper manner. Not a safari company who helps occasionally in the community – but a safari operator whose sole purpose for existence is to benefit the community.

You can make a difference. You can make a difference directly. Spend an extra day or two working with in a community. Your safari company can organize this. It will change your life. It will change the lives of those you visit too. Don’t be shy; come share your time for a day or two before or after your safari. Really experience Africa – I dare you…
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