I have four years to worry about this. My son is not old enough. But when he is, I would LOVE to chaperone this event. But I am terrified of the logistics!

Has anyone ever done this or anything like this? It will mean 7 days without a bathroom. Now, I am not a girly-girl. I'm good without doing my hair for a week and I can even deal with sponge bathing for a week. But I am not good with...well...all the things we need a bathroom for.

And what's it like carrying a pack 10 miles each day?

Sounds like fun - i've camped backcountry before where you have to trowel and poop or carry it out depending on the location and the biggest hint is to go near a tree - grab the tree and "sit" while holding on ... don't just rely on your quads helps things, ahem, go "back" and not near you ...

My husband and I are working up to do a week-long thru hike and have the frame packs - make 100% sure they fit perfectly - take it back and exchange until you find one that is ideal ... lesson learned there. If the pack fits great, you don't really notice too much of a load - we split our tent up so one has tent and one has the poles and just now got an ultralight tent, so that'll be a big difference, too. Pack plenty of healthy snacks that are HANDY. And have FUN building up for it! Keep us posted about your hints and tips for training for it, too.