Extra batteries
I’ve reached the point in the packing process where I’m down to the smaller details. The big things – sleeping bag, tent, clothes, cooking gear – have already been assigned to their correct places. Drybags are organized and set in a pile. I haven’t done much on the food front yet, but that can wait. Other than that, the only things I have left to account for are the little things: spare batteries, coffee mug, things like that. And there aren’t many of them.
It was not always like this. I used to pack for multi-day trips on my way to the put-in. My level of planning was the antithesis of Boy Scout thinking; spontaneity was more important than preparation. I guess. That has changed. Too many trips where that one critical piece of gear got left behind. The paddlefloat! The lighter! The coffee! As much as possible, I’d like to not forget these kinds of things any more, and proper prior planning (as I learned from my Air Force overlords), prevents poor performance.
I find that there are still plenty of unplanned moments that require me to dig into my spontaneous bag of tricks, no matter how well I prepare myself and my equipment. This trip is sure to have its share of MacGyver moments, regardless of how much I do beforehand. I may as well remember the can opener and the second pair of socks.
The other reality is that, even though we don’t actually leave until Friday morning, I’m not going to have many free moments between now and then. We’re all getting together – the three of us – for a final pre-trip meeting this evening, but after that, I’m going to be either working, working or working, right up until we depart. Such are the facts of life in modern times.
In some very important ways, I look forward to the singularity of purpose that a trip like this one provides.
About Ken Campbell
New Release
A story of sea kayaking and science on the rugged coast of Alaska. Coming – Spring 2014.
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