Getting ready to launch a 150-mile backpacking trip on the Pacific Crest Trail. All of this preparation will be over on Friday morning, August 2, when boots hits the dirt at Santiam Pass, Oregon. In the meantime, we are obsessively weighing everything to keep pack weight down. Ever wonder how much 40 manuscript pages tip the scales? A little over 6 ounces. Then there's the pen. And the notepad. And the picture book draft. And those other chapters. It's got me thinking, "pack horse."Oh, wait, I'M the pack horse.