Final Preparation

Dang, it is nearly showtime.  Are we ready to do this?

My head says there is still a ton to get sorted.  My heart says chill out, we're going to be fine and we can figure out the loose ends enroute.

How did this get so complicated? On our World Trip we moved toward simplicity, abandoning all posessions and embracing unpredictability.  We felt great release, calmness and peace. The thru hikes were also rather simple, once the basic logistical plan was in place.

Why is this one so different?
All of the planning and preparation just never ends and the mind races to add more to the list. Stress and complication.

I completed more chart preparation, and fashioned a wind screen for the stove. And twenty things.  Shrink the list.

We finally made our first attempt to cram everything in the boat, at St Bernard State Park, outside of New Orleans.  The car contents exploded all over the place, and we tried to stuff everything into little bags. It looks pretty hopeless, but we keep shuffling until it all fits, much to relief of Fran.

I still worry about weight. We are well within the design limits of the boats, but not anywhere near something we can carry loaded.

For thru hiking I have sometimes said that as you gain knowledge you can trim off ounces.
I am sure that applies here too, but despite three years of prep we are still not experts. We have a big repair kit and first aid kit, much like my early backpacking before I learned how to handle more issues with less material. We have dry suits AND wet suits, ans tons of electronics and redundant charts. Maybe we will learn as we go and we can lighten the load.

The car is a mess of piles, still with project boxes of sewing, ground cloths, and charts.  We have not yet field tested everything. We keep adding a few more last minute items, like replacing the mosquito headnet that we know we had at home but cannot find now.

We have to keep pushing relentlessly on, so we drive all day Sunday to get to the launch area. We have Monday to finish, and launch on Tuesday. Monday, during intense downpours and gusts, we organize the food and the boxes we will mail ahead.

Oh no! We discover that we misread the Guide Book. We need two permits, not just the one we got. And double oops. The one we have has the wrong dates. Fran has nearly melted down a couple of times over the itinerary. With help from Lori for St Marks and Liz for Big Bend we get it sorted out.

The adventure begins in the morning.
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