Loved reading this -- it felt like old school Tynan adventure writing somehow :)

As someone who lives and breathes this stuff, I'd LOVE to see what your thoughts are on gear.

PS on the foot pain....I wore minimalist sandals for many years, sometimes while backpacking, and developed a similar heel pain. It felt like my foot needed some cushion despite all my philosophical footwear minimalism. When I'm backpacking I wear salomons now. Not sure if that's helpful