Can ya believe that we will be leaving in about three weeks? It seemed like just yesterday this whole adventure was just a vague idea!
The last few days have been a bit … outside the routine. Which is not necessarily a bad thing since my routine is about to change drastically anyway. But this shift in routine was a little thought provoking. For one, my uncle passed away (from dementia), resulting in a funeral and my family reconnecting with some people we have not seen in over thirty years. The next day I found myself coming down with some sort of bug that refused to be named, which I am just today recovering from. So the recent days have been filled with a crazy mixture of thoughts of the past, family, mortality, whacked dreams, and what we will be facing on the trail. Mixed in with the constant, “Am I forgetting anything?”
Now that I am sort of thinking clearly again, I can most definitely, without a doubt say that I am almost completely sure that I MIGHT have just about everything I need … I think. Thanks to the random bits and pieces of advice that have been sneaking in, I seem to keep thinking of just ONE more thing that might come in handy. I got this nifty bungie web thing that attaches things tightly to the outside of the pack. So no more danglies. And it even matches the pack. After all it is important that I hike fashionably. If I pack only a weeks worth of food at a time, I actually have fair amount of room to work with, so it just comes down to keeping track of post offices now. I still have not done an official weighing of the pack … the recent affliction put it off. So the current to do list:
- Do a full packing (including food and water) and weigh it, as well as do some practice walking with it.
- Make a map of the pack so I actually know where I put all my knew toys.
- Figure out a shipping plan to keep my stomach happy.
- Pretend to get some more exercise in.
- Visit the local watering hole at least once more to make sure they will survive six months without me.
- Hopefully not spend too much money in said watering whole.
- Spend some time with the family members who might miss me for a few minutes.
- Buy the small things that I did not need to special order but still need.
This list is growing as I type. Seems I still have a few things to do to prepare. Which is actually better than having nothing to do accept gnaw on the woodwork until I actually go.
More updates when I actually have something useful to say. Just felt the need to check in.
I’ve been thinking of you, and wondering how you’ve been doing. Actually, I wondered if the panic had set in yet. Glad to hear that you seem to be doing well. Hope the bug didn’t set you back too far.
Good luck getting all of the “to do’s” done. Crossing things off a list is sort of like a countdown.
Take care. Can’t wait to hear more.
I am not sure the list will end … but it WILL keep me busy haha