an aspiring minimalist

FACT: Trip enjoyment is inversely proportionate to the amount of crap in your bag. (Dublin ‘08, anyone??)

What Madalyn said is sadly true. I have a tendency to pack for every contingency - better bring 100 bobby pins in case I lose the previous ninety-nine, better bring a flashlight in case my book light dies, better bring a sewing kit in case I all of a sudden decide to actually fix my clothes instead of wearing them regardless...connect the dots and it’s easy to see that carrying a mule-worthy load is inevitable. Stay tuned to see who survives the shoot-out: the packing list vs. my own stubborn disposition. But alas, for today, the boots stay.

Packing!

Well the count down to our departure date is 56 days. I have come up with a new, and maybe a little ambitious, packing goal. My goal is to only bring a hiking backpack. I think it's possible Haley thinks it's crazy. I'm very proud of Haley though. I saw her packing list, and it was not really that excessive. She limited herself to 4 dresses (this is big for Haley), and 5 cartigans (I may have convinced she only needs 3). AND she's only bringing one pair of boots, and no they aren't her purple cowboy boots, however they are the heaviest and tallest boots she could find.

I don't have a packing list quite yet...but off the top of my head, a t-shirt, basketball shorts, and just fill the rest of the space in my backpack with underwear...that's just tentative though.

If you feel like you have some packing wisdom to impart, please do!