the countdown

It's Sunday morning and this is the first morning since December that I have slept in and woken up relaxed. We are ready : boxes are packed, last minute equipment changes and purchases complete, and those itty bitty details have now stopped surfacing; details that would wake Diane up at 4:30am and nibble at her until she got up and started her detail-driven day. I have one last thing to do -reinforce a button (sew it on really tight) to a back- up pair of hiking shorts. I experienced some random butterflies in my stomach yesterday, stirred about by thoughts about leaving our kitty. I'm sure she will do just fine. We've told her what is happening and that should be enough right?

When doing a hike like this the most anticipated telling moment is when you weigh your pack to find out your base weight -the weight you will carry everyday minus food and water. This goal of a low base weight  is what you have been spending thousands of dollars on. Six hundred on a two pound sleeping bag, six hundred on a 1 pound tent,two fifty on an 8 oz. vortex rain jacket, hundreds on icebreaker wool products because they don't stink (no synthetic materials for us]. It all adds up but what is most alarming is that it gets lighter EVERY year so that is more thousands every year!  Food adds about two pounds per day and water is variable. It can be anywhere from nothing to 8 liters depending on your level of paranoia. There are three of us hiking together. I am the smallest therefore my base weight should be the least. Guess what? I lost that competition. Shelly is the winner. Her base weight is about 11 pounds. Diane slides in in second place at 15 pounds. Caroline will be dragging herself around with 20 pounds. Why is that? Two reasons : a heavier pack by 2 pounds and Chinese. I'm taking an MP3 player and a cut-in-half Chinese book to MAYBE study on the way. I'd like to become fluent by the end of the trip talking to trees and rocks or maybe I'll just drive Shelly and Diane crazy. I like crazy.

My legs have been walking the trail for awhile. They are so energized in anticipation. My adrenals have been getting me ready;   my feet have been aching ahead of time and sometimes my knees start to laugh hysterically. I've already been bitten by a rattlesnake and and broken both my legs; Diane's appendix have burst and I'm throwing up dehydrated food. Other than that I see a successful trip for us. Bye for now. Meet you at the border. Dirty Girl

This is the "stuff" for 6 months: Dirty Girl's: