I started crossing days off the calendar more than two months ago. Big black x's. Very satisfying. Nevermind that I didn't manage to mark off a single day during the last week because of being on nearly continuous call. Ugh. Graham once called me the 'Patron Saint of Sleep Deprivation' and it's probably a reasonable description. With this trip looming, I'm exhausted but somehow impervious. I get daily e-mails from Bear with pictures of people running Lava, or a just a note that says '8 more days', '7 more days'.... I drive everyone completely insane making notes and lists of places I'd like to visit. Umpteen trips to REI, mail order gear, packing and repacking. Our living room looks like an outdoor retail store.
Sarongs arrived from California after I spoke to a 'dude' who assured me they would get here in time.
"I really need them for a trip down the Grand Canyon."
"Awesome. Dude. They will totally be there. Definitely."
Awesome. Definitely.
We've got batteries and backup batteries for the cameras. I think we even have back-ups for our back-ups. I'm sure we've forgotten things but I don't care. The boats went out by DHL almost 2 weeks ago. We watched our tracking numbers like a stock ticker. The boats are now in Arizona waiting for us. As long as we have kayak gear, the rest is just details. Speaking of details, they seem to have escaped our local kayak gear supplier Kerry. Bear's new PFD was to be shipped by overnight mail. Whoops. Didn't get around to it. My spare dies an early death in the spin cycle of our neighbors washing machine so Jim drives the 4 hour round-trip to pick it up himself the night before we leave. Nothing will stop us from getting on the water. Certainly not a frayed old PFD.
I've packed all the essentials. Last minutes handfuls of local anesthetic, sutures, needles. I finagled antibiotics from the local pharmacy. Things I'm hoping not to use. The packing list also includes no fewer than 6 paper
back books. I have a little reading problem. I'm trying to cut back. A moment of panic in the airport - I'll run out - I buy two more and read them both on the plane. I've also got peanut m&m's. Essentials.Bear On a Plane
On the plane we use our clever stealth-seat choice trick and get a whole row for the two of us. Sleep and read. Then we land. Pheonix looks like a
sun scorched dust bowl from the air and not a whole lot better from the ground. The whole place shimmers with heat. Ugh. It doesn't take long to find our companions. Pam, Graham, Rob and Hoppy meet us with the rental car. We are all going to fit along with our gear. Have to. Very cosy but somehow it works. Jim closes the trunk and dents the car with his ass. Not an inch to spare.
sun scorched dust bowl from the air and not a whole lot better from the ground. The whole place shimmers with heat. Ugh. It doesn't take long to find our companions. Pam, Graham, Rob and Hoppy meet us with the rental car. We are all going to fit along with our gear. Have to. Very cosy but somehow it works. Jim closes the trunk and dents the car with his ass. Not an inch to spare.Airport Reunion
We stop for mexican food but can't seem to get chili verde. I end up with the food equivalent of 6 meals. It will be a wonder if we can all squeeze back in the car. Hoppy is last out of the restaurant and we drive through the parking lot yelling for him to jump in the van a la 'little miss sunshine'. Waiting for Hoppy is like waiting for grass to grow. You know it will happen eventually but it's slow.
Dented Rental.
At the hotel in Flag we meet up with Jane. I'm so excited she's decided to come. She's not sure she likes the view from her hotel room but I assure her the view will improve dramatically tomorrow. We have orientation in a room off the lobby and meet the other guests. Everyone introduces themselves, says where they're from and what they are looking forward to on the trip. Some people have been down before. Some have no idea what to expect. Some of us are looking forward to everything. We pick up our gear bags with instructions on how to pack them. I can't envision how the mass of luggage in our room is going to end up in this little duffel. I have questions but mostly I just want to go. We try and pack. Repack. Hoppy discovers that he has somehow managed to leave a bag at the airport containing his kayaking gear. Are you kidding me? Even missing a bag he has more stuff than he can possibly bring with him. Rob and Graham head out to obtain more beer and wine. Then more Mexican food. Cheaper and more reliable than sushi in the middle of the desert.
Ever since I learned to kayak I have wanted to take this trip. I learned in a diversion ditch off of Lock 32 of the Eerie Canal. It seems only right that I finally get to paddle in the biggest ditch of them all.
Auto Surf
I'm exhausted but I can hardly sleep.
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