Let's Just Go....And Not Come Back...For Awhile

So this is how it begins…a simple email from my sister with the subject line that reads “Sibling Trip?”   Immediately, I start to drool thinking about navigating a road trip somewhere, researching hotels and restaurants along the way, not to mention points of interest that will appeal to us all. I start to imagine what cute outfits I might pack and the best way to minimize my list in order to allow room for all the technology necessary for a sibling trip: camera, iPod, iPhone, iPad, chargers, laptop, etc. I can picture us at the end of a day of travel, sitting on a deck somewhere lifting a glass of wine as we watch the sun set.
 

However, it seems that my sister has another kind of trip in mind. Her email read much as follows:

“Let's hike the Superior Trail later this year – just like the Donner Party did years ago.  Let's hike enough that we can camp out a couple of nights. Come on!! Who's with me? I know there might be parts of it where we are a bit Billy Crystal in "City Slickers" but let's not underestimate ourselves.  I will do this even if you all turn me down but since I have NO idea how GPS works you will all have to hike anyhow when the search party is formed! We’ll count on Mike to watch the sky for smoke signals and Dad can man the cabin in Hovland in case a search and rescue party is needed.   At the end of the trip, we all head to Trail Center and raise a glass. Who's in?”

What? She seriously mentioned the Donner Party, smoke signals and search and rescue in one message….and meant it to be enticing.  And the sickest part of this is...I fell for it.  “Hell Yeah! I’m in!” was my reply. 

My brother Greg quickly emailed to clarify…did she mean that we should literally hike the trail? Like actually walking? He pointed out that even in the movie “City Slickers”, they got to ride horses. And he has a very valid concern about who is going to be carrying the beer.  But he is “in”.

My sister Deb rejoiced in the fact that after years of us teasing her about her 21-day survival underwear, bear spray, a week without showering, and her “go-girl” (more about that in a later post), we would now be joining her  as we peruse the REI website for backpacking necessities. She also pointed out that hydro-packs can also carry wine.  She is “in”.

My brother Steven is likely traveling today so he hasn’t yet had a chance to respond.  But there is no question in my mind, he will be “in”.

So assuming that my oldest brother Mike will support us as home base, and Dad will be willing to be on-call for search and rescue…it looks like we might do this crazy thing.

There is nothing I love more than planning…for anything. So I immediately started seeking out information about what a backpacker needs to pack in their bag and how to find the right size/fit backpack.  I found a training plan for hiking as well as exercises to strengthen areas specifically important for a backpacking adventure. And then it just started to get crazy….soon I was finding out how to make homemade toothpaste pellets (recipe to be shared in a later post) and how to make single use packs of first aid ointments using straws and a lighter.

Then my second favorite activity started….worrying.   I mean, Greg had a good point…how ARE we going to carry in all the beer? And what about mosquitos? And snakes? And going to the bathroom (again, we are back to the Go-Girl….more on that later). And what if we get lost (let’s face it…that’s something that I’ve been known to do)? And how will I go for hours….let alone days….without technology? No iPhone? No iPad? This is truly crazy talk at this point.

But then as I continued to research, I found a quote that resonated….”Let’s just go…and not come back…for awhile.”  Planning and worrying aside, I’m “in”.

It remains to be seen if the trip will happen later this year.  Trust me, I’ll continue to report on any updates as we go.  I hope it happens but even if not, sometimes the fun is in the planning or the dreaming.  I’m sure we’ll have many conversations in the months ahead. We’ll make lots of jokes about our ability to do this and we’ll make serious plans to work our way towards our goal. It’s only the beginning of January and it looks already like it is going to be a very, very long winter. So there is a simple joy in thinking about the warmer weather ahead and about having a drink together at the end of the day – whether our travels have taken us shopping on the Miracle Mile (which to be honest, is more my kind of hiking) or we’ve traveled to the top of a ridge in Northern Minnesota with a view that goes on for miles. I’m hoping that we can just go…and not come back for awhile…