Day 0: Preparing to Live Outside for a Week

Packing

I left work early to begin packing. We wanted to be packed by bedtime and still have time to watch a video. As we began packing in earnest, I wondered how our bags would accommodate of our camping equipment as well as our clothing. We were flying into Phoenix. The airline permitted only two checked and two carry-on bags per person.

We'd packed for camping/flying trips before, but it had been awhile. To complicate matters, Ian wanted to bring our full-size camp chairs. Later, as we relaxed at our campsite, we appreciated the chairs. But tonight I did not know how we would configure our belongings into the limited number of "bags".

How in the world...

After our personal bags were packed, I gathered our camping gear into one place. We stared at the gear for awhile, saying nothing.

Then Ian had an idea.

With the help of bun-gee cords, our camp chairs and one sleeping roll would become a checked item. My bag bun-geed to a sleeping roll would be the second checked item. Ian's oversized duffel bag would be the third, and the back-country back pack would be the fourth.

The only catch was that the backpack must hold most of our camping gear. Not long after our plan was laid, we were packed and still had time for videos.

Our final concern was the big snow predicted for the early-morning hours. Aside from highway safety, we worried about missing our connecting flight.
^ Arizona, March 2005 A False Start >