Packing Up - Part 1

From chaos, order

I leave on Thursday, so it's getting towards crunch time. Time for final packing and logistics. My shuttle is confirmed, so now it's up to me to be ready to go. 

And for a bit of practice, I'm writing this with my iPhone and the Blogger app, the same way I'll journal from the trail.

The first stages of packing up is a bit daunting. Rubbermaid boxes of gear are emptied, piling up into a disorganized mess on the family room pool table.

Although it looks bad, experience has taught me that if I start working my way through each of the big categories (food, sleep, cooking, hydration, etc.) things come together pretty quickly.

Food

I've got two missions here - prep a mail drop and pack my first few days supply.

The mail drop contains supplies I'll need for the second portion of the journey, and I'll ship it off to the hostel on Monday. That'll give it a week to get there via UPS.

Next is my starting supply - this is placed in a waterproof stuff sack that I can hang from a tree or bear pole when I'm in camp. In addition to food, I keep my toothpaste/brush and the bear bag rope (50' of paracord) in the bag. That way I don't have to search for it in my pack.

Unpacked 

In the stuff sack

Next time: Sleep and Shelter