Preparing for a lengthy stint of MedTrekking across southern Turkey to Syria doesn’t just involve getting into decent physical shape by regular rounds of hiking, swimming and working out. It also requires diligent packing to pursue the path without all the comforts of home.

Here’s some of the equipment that The Idiot will carry when he resumes the MedTrek in the Turkish village of Uçari, which is about 350 kilometers from the Syrian border, on September 17:

A lightweight pack that includes a SPOT GPS and iPhone camera, a first aid kit, a fluorescent safety vest, a copy of his passport, an old school map of Turkey — and the usual water, food and change of clothing.

You are what you carry.

Some promotional garb that will help sell Idiot-ic books and T shirts at www.followtheidiot.com.

Promoting The Idiot.

Weathered, quick-drying shoes for different types of terrain and topography.

Light shoes for all terrain.

Companions are also fun to take along. The Idiot threw a tea party before leaving Redding, CA, to invite his mother and friends to follow him to Syria. There weren’t a lot of takers.

The Idiot’s mother refuses to Follow the Idiot to Syria. (Photo: Marc Beauchamp)

If you’d like to join The Idiot, you can get a personal invitation @ http://followtheidiot.com/idiot-ic-reader-reactions.

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About Joel

Joel Stratte-McClure has been a global trekker since the 1970s. He lived in France for over 30 years, working as a journalist, before he turned his attention to a unique life-time-project of walking the shores of the Mediterranean. The first 4,401 kilometers are explored in his inspirational and entertaining first book "The Idiot and the Odyssey: Walking the Mediterranean." The next 4,401 kilometers are covered in the gods-filled sequel, "The Idiot and the Odyssey II: Myth, Madness and Magic on the Mediterranean,” published on Valentine's Day 2013. The last 4,401 kilometers will be discussed in the last book of the trilogy currently entitled "The Idiot and the Odyssey III: Alexander the Great Walks the Mediterranean."