41 Days...

...and counting.
Winter begins to pull her chilly shawl tightly around herself, withdrawing, leaving the rest of us to encounter sunny skies and warmer temperatures. Most everyone up here is sure this is just a cruel tease but I must admit that this past week of sunshiney 'practice spring' has brought great joy to my heart. I have been in to the big city of Havre over the past several weekends and as I walk between friends' houses I leap across rivers of dirty, icy water. I must decide which snow bank is most likely to actually support my weight and which is waiting to suck me in up to my calf and fill my shoes with ice. Which one will I slip on and which will make a good perch for the next jump. When should I just walk half a block up the street and cross there. All the while I know this is nothing compared to what I will soon be facing, and quite frankly, I can't wait.
With some experience in such matters I must admit that these interim periods put me in an odd headspace. My 'observer' Aquarius truly comes out. Life happens around me and I am entertained by it, but the sense of investment slips away. The back half of my brain is overwhelmed by the ephemeral nature of life. Fortunately these thoughts are no longer the fatalistic ruminations which they used to be; they no longer hold such power or negative energy. I understand that it is just a phase, my way of dealing with change. Besides, my heart and half my brain are already on the trail.
Most exciting, I have my "Big Three" (sleeping bag, tent, and backpack). My bag is a Women's Adrenaline Golite, it weighs 1 lb 12 oz. It is only a half zip so I do worry about my feet getting too warm but it was the only bag of its class which I could find for a reasonable price. My tent is a Big Agnes model, on loan from a Philmont buddy. Fortunately the boy actually knows what to look for in a tent so she is super light, free standing and the rain fly is completely detachable for those starry, buggy nights. I have not weighed it or looked up the model yet but I would say she probably comes in at around 2 lbs. My backpack is an Osprey, model Ariel 65. I have yet to have the hip belt molded to me (I will probably do so at the REI when I swing through Chicago) because I was iffy about committing right away but, after surviving a few rough little adventures with me, I must pledge allegiance. I did receive the sleeping bag and tent in the mail on the same day. When the post office called for me to come pick them up I was so excited that I had to do the Driver's Seat dance all the way into town. It was all I could do to restrain myself from ripping them open right there but I made myself wait. I jumped into the car and tried to put it in reverse but instead my left turn signal came on. It took me a few moments to figure out what was going on! I did make it home safely and promptly set everything up in my living room and spent the night in it right there. The weather may finally be getting warm enough that I can take it all out and we can all get to know each other a little better.
I also went ahead and purchased a Marmot DriClime wind jacket. I have read nothing but glowing reviews of this particular piece of gear and the XL which I ordered fits perfectly. So, huzzah!!! Another piece I have been researching is called the PocketMail. Again, many hikers have spoken very highly of it and, as I was tootling about on the Internet, looking for a deal, I called one of their distributors. The friendly gal told me she thought they may have gone under, which both alarmed me and made me thankful I looked into it before taking others' word on the matter. I have emailed the company and we will see what they say. If I can find another, similar device I may go ahead an invest in it for the ease of communication with friends and family and a light way to keep a journal (paper gets heavy, especially when wet).
Aside from that, I am still working on putting together the just right kind of stove, looking into a tough and reasonably priced little camera, and my final 'big ticket item' will be a down jacket of some sort. I have considered ordering shoes online but I have pretty particular feet and I will really only trust something I have at least tried on; therefore I am going to have to wait until I make a trip into Great Falls or possibly until Chicago or Kansas City. While the policy with boots is to get them ahead of time and break them in (or else suffer and DIE) lightweight runners are a different matter altogether.
As per request by Papa Morris I am working on a piece to explain exactly why I am undertaking this adventure. When and if I get the right words put together I will post it. I do apologize for the recent irregularity of my writing. Life just comes in bouts sometimes.