Lol 8k gets some dam nice gear man, I would start with reading all the
AP sections of this forum if the photo route is your choice. If its visual you could grab a 16" goto dob or go mad on a sdm
http://www.sdmtelescopes.com.au/ . Find a local club and go our there and gets some hands on with others gear, its the only way to find out what takes your interest the most.
If it was me i would get a G11, ed80, 10" newt, dslr and guiding package for a nice AP rig
could even go just a eq6 instead of the G11 and save a few k
8k gets some dam nice kit
edit: Just read your got to hike with it, I would go a nice refractor, heq5 and guide package. You could pack this on your back besides the tripod and is probably close to all your webbing and crap weight wise. A dob is to hard to hike with because of the base and size.
Its a great hobby and will keep you of the drink and blowing money on keno haha