T-Minus 8 Days and Counting

I am anxious to get started with my adventure but holy cow do I have a lot of "stuff" to do. Setting up bill-pay; writing instructions for household stuff I usually do; sell my motorcycle; clean the garage and discard unwanted and unneeded "stuff"; and make sure my will is up to date. I have a few finishing touches left on my resupply boxes and need to get the first two in the mail by Monday.

Checking the weather report for the next two weeks did not make me feel all warm and fuzzy. Rain expected Tuesday next week and then a bigger storm moving into the region Saturday, the day I am setting off. My luck it will snow and the winds will howl and I will be given a flavor of mother nature that will kill a few taste buds. I am prepared for the wind, rain and snow so let it blow. I will no doubt grumble about it (I am known to grumble about a lot of stuff) but just deal with it.

I have gotten my base pack weight down to 22 pounds and think I might be able to cut it down even more. We shall see. I have my boxes filled for Kennedy Meadows and Lake Tahoe. The will be delivered in person by Mindi (The Wife). She will meet me in Kennedy Meadows around the 9th of June and bring my Sierra "stuff" like the bear canister; ice axe and crampons (If needed); warmer clothes and a new pair of boots for the mountains. She will travel in our new motor home so I will at least be able to shower and sleep comfortable for a night or two before hitting the trail into the Sierra's.

I am planning on hiking straight through to Reds Meadow, a hike of about 14 days. My pack will be the heaviest at this point with 14 days of food and the canister and warmer, thicker, heavier clothes. But I expect to be in the best shape at this point and should be OK with the additional weight. I'm hopeful the snow pack is light and the trail dry so I can maintain a good pace through the high passes.

One week from tomorrow at 0900 I will be at the monument in Campo saying good-bye to friends and family and hitting the trail. I guess I better get back to the "stuff" I need to do if I am going to meet this date.