Just take the bare essentials

May 25, 2014

“Walk this Way; Talk this Way” (Aerosmith)

No…no, walking the Camino is not about losing one’s virginity, like the lyrics in this Aerosmith song…well…I guess I could stretch it to be an allegory…a pilgrimage of 500 miles consists of losing the fear of being a control freak and planning every little thing out to the oomph degree. Ya…that could be a stretch…but in reality for anal, organized, over achievers, with the need to control one’s environment and be the Super Ultimate Boy Scout who is prepared for all things at all times with the “expect the unexpected” mentality…this is very real!

And yet, you have to carry all your stuff on your back as you are the donkey…or in my case, the Jenny. I guess I could refer to another lyric from the Rolling Stones…” A beast of burden.”

So seeing as how I’m the one who likes things organized (some things, some of the times) and I have been known to go overboard with planning for “expect the worse, hope for the best” scenarios (the first item on my check list for buying traveler’s insurance included repatriation-shipping home my carcass- NOT that I’m planning on getting hurt, let alone dying…but one needs to cover their ASSets just in case) I’m making sure that some items…ok…most items will do double duty.

As you look at the pictures of stuff piled in the staging area, aka, The Couch, you can see that ALL of this stuff that has been collected, will NOT fit into a backpack. And what is up with sanitary pads? Well, since you asked, the first thought is obvious. Like…no duh…we are women who will be gone for 50 days, but that is way to obvious. Double duty. You can insert the pads into your shoe to absorb the sweat from your feet that causes blisters to form! Yay-Way! And ya…guys wear them too…in their shoes. And since we are on the topic of female sanitary products, tampons are great for plugging your nose with when you get a nose bleed.
It makes for way awesome, “Hey-mom-look-at-me” summer camp pictures. Abby has a few of these pictures taken of her with these nose plug accessories.

And who can leave home without a copy of a Zombie book? My friend, Don Teague has instilled in me over the years, that one HAS to be prepared at ALL TIMES, in ALL PLACES for the Zombie Apocalypse. Might seem like dead (pun intended) weight to serious, fanatic backpacker minimalists, but THEY are going to want to be on MY team when the apocalypse happens!

Stay tune. We leave in 3 days. With posts like this before we even make it out onto the trail, you know this blog is going to document an epic adventure.

And please, feel free to go to my http://www.gofundme.com/8hte10 site to donate towards my pilgrimage. After all, those funds will be used to cover my bribe to transport Abby and I to safety when the Zombies attack!