While we're on the topic of mental imagery...

Have a think on what this might be. Then try to decide if I'm really that far out there, if I would have bought one. We can discuss later.

For now, I'm knee deep in Alaska preparations, I don't have the time to worry about that thing.

Here's about where I'm at. Feeling pretty good about what I've got, although I'm sure there's something else I need. I might not know it until I see it at the secondhand gear-a-palooza store in Portland. that happens you know.

-New (pink!) pack: check
-New sleeping mat: Check
-Replacement me sized sleeping bag* (from the Satin in a Coffin line by Kelty) because Bill the shitbum borrowed mine for his little man friend and now won't return my calls, and I need something since I'm going to f'ing AK in 2 weeks: Check (the other one was 12 years old, I knew I would have to replace it someday. It's really just the principle of the thing)
-Pack cover -with hood- check
-Superfeet replacement boot insoles! (flame retardant): check

*me sized sleeping bag is what I need when the dog isn't coming. When she joins, we have the man/ dig and girl sized model. Unfortch, she won't fit in my carry on so she stays home this time.

Someone (who is lucky sometimes that I get distracted from his inane questions by his striking good looks) asked me the other day if I was afraid of bears. What the hell kind of GD question is that? Who in their right mind isn't afraid of bears I ask you? I just smiled and told him he was handsome, which is when I got the very serious "Camping is very serious" discussion.

Apparently it can be dangerous, and also difficult, to meander into the woods during bear season. Who'd have thought?

I could give you a whole speech, I've been getting it from my dad and my mother as well. My mother, never having left New England other than to go "rough it" on the strip in Vegas or visit my brother in Phoenix has not too much to say on the subject, but what little she has is precious. She's just "heard" it can be "bad". And of course all those programs on the Discovery channel make you an expert, no? She's still trying to figure out where she went wrong, or what she could have done differently to avoid how I turned out: namely independent and wanderlust-y. So conversating with her is thrilling this week, although slightly funny b/c she just had a hip replacement and is hopped up to the gills on painkillers.

My dad, having traveled some in his youth has several very relevant points (though he too slowly blinks and heaves the occasional pained sigh when he learns of my latest plans. But he rallies, gets the facts and then makes sure I have them, and also usually some supplies for said adventure. Can you ask for better?) And he also has a pair of trekking poles with my name on them. How can you hate?? He at least did stuff when he was younger, and still does some now though in a different vein. But he's a total gear whore much like myself, and also a rather large, research oriented nerd which is pretty sweet. I dig on surrounding myself with those people. The thing about a nerdy gear whore is, by the time they get to the point where they have formed an opinion they are willing to offer on any given piece of gear (or techno toy, cough, itch!), they've either read up on or broken several other types. It's like getting the benefits of countless hours of research work in 20 minutes of conversing, and it's usually with someone I generally enjoy talking to anyway. Win/win.

And I'll leave you with that. I have to go rotate dehydrating trays. Bear Gryllis HN says that "from now until the minute we walk out the door we need to have something dehydrating 24/7" because we are carrying most/all of our food for Alaska with us. It's amazing what you can do with this thing, I can see a long and fruitful lifetime of playing "will it dehydrate?" alongside "will it blend?". I love me some new appliance.

oh! ok, seriously this time. One more and then I'm out. Today's batch is fruit and I'm dying to see what the bananas are doing. This is my next "As Seen on TV" purchase. While laid up for the day Sat, part of what I did was watch informercials. I need this.
If you saw the show, you'd realize you need it too.

You're welcome.