Jus' curious... Is Case Wester Reserver U. slightly more reserved and west of Case Western Reserve U., 'cause I know where that one is, but I ain't never heard of that other one.

Here's the Kansas City perspective. I tried this same gig last fall, and failed miserably.

The problem is weight. My plan was to conduct a back-coutry hike through Mark Twain National Forest, and blog it. FAIL.

Multitude of difficulty:

-Each technology added adds weight. Drop the solar cell gear for hand cranked, OLPC-type stuff. less parts = less weight. My VAIO UMPC was burdensome when coupled with recharging gear.

-Forget 3G. CDMA is sketchy at best. I've had 4 bars in the Rockikes at 14k ft., and I've had nothin' a 1/4 mi. off I-70 an hour out of KC.

-Check with the park rangers before you go. They will tell where the watering holes are during any given season.

-Excess weight will ruin your trip.

-No water will ruin your trip.

All that said, it'd be fun to try and rig a packet-radio connection in the middle of nowhere using only a bobbin, duck tape,and a bar-be-qued spare-rib.