countdown!

This weekend with G&D we spent a lot of time planning an outdoor trip for June - July. It will involve us + Kim, some 70km of canoeing, 40km of hiking and (fingers crossed) great weather in which to bask.

We'll be starting our journey just north of Port Alberni and canoeing the Great Central Lake, hiking to the base of Della Falls, and then turning around and coming home. Estimated time (we're gonna enjoy a semi-leisurely pace) will be 6 nights in the wilds.

This will be my first true-backpacking trip - living off what I can carry on my back and (as a treat) what our canoe can carry! I've got most of what I need, yet the list of things to buy (gaitors, camelbak, pack cover, etc) seems really long.

I went to MEC today to get a couple of luxury items. Nice to get those now, so that I can justify the price - as opposed to the weeks leading up to the trek where $ will be tighter.

I know I'll be taking a lot of pictures of the journey, and so I'll need my camera in the canoe with me, accessible, yet protected. So I picked up the Pelican 1010 micro case - "submersible, dustproof and crush-resistant".

I also grabbed a pair of paddling gloves. These are the fingerless version - ideal for warm-weather paddling - that will provide palm protection.

Going shopping for stuff like this makes it seem really real, and really close. I've still got over three months to prep - many nights will be spend sitting on my bosu paddling an imaginary lake :)