One: Holden Village and Packing Nightmares
You'll learn very quickly in this silly little blog that I try to be funny to lighten my own moods sometimes. However, most of the time I'm a bit overly dramatic, and right now moving across the country to a remote village in the middle of the North Cascade Wilderness for four months feels... very dramatic.
I've been to Holden Village before. The location is in Washington State, up Lake Chelan and many winding switchbacks to the most darling set of wooden buildings you've ever seen, nestled in the arms of Buckskin and Copper Mountains, Martin's Ridge, and Railroad Creek. To access this haven, a whirlwind of transportation is required - everything but a car (just the way I like it). From my *now past tense* home in Decorah, it's just a quick train ride (33 hrs), bus ride (1hr), boat ride (4 hrs), and 60 mile hike (96 hrs) to reach the embrace of the dining hall that will supply my waning body with famous bottomless Holden bread and butter and jam.
But this is getting ahead of myself.
I almost constantly daydream about everything but my next step, and in this moment, that step is packing. In taking this trip I am attempting to rid myself of excessivities (I made this word up). The goal is to fit everything I'll need for the next year (or so) into a 50 liter pack, a fanny pack, an over-the-shoulder bag, and a big red suitcase. Now, I listed four seemingly spacious containers, within which to place what I need, and what sounds like room for other fun notables and things like my toothbrush and water bottle. You would think that, you inexperienced packer, you (this is me berating myself, as I thought this too).
I am down to five pairs of pants, eight shirts, four warm layers, two dresses (because I want to have fun sometimes), enough underwear... and I still need to pare down further. I haven't even begun to consider toiletries, books, knitting, shoes, and so many other objects that absolutely take up more room than a wallet-sized pocket on my fanny pack.
But let us not worry ourselves over issues we cannot solve five days out from our imminent launch from civilized society in Decorah. In this moment, Monday night, July 25th at 9:45pm, I choose to pretend as if tomorrow morning does not bring me another ten hours closer to the most fun, as well as the most intense traveling I've ever embarked upon. I will prepare my sandwich for the workday, brush my teeth (impeccably well, as I've visited the dentist far too many times this last year), cuddle my loving partner until the lull of sleep draws me into dreams that hopefully have nothing to do with delayed trains and hiking blisters :)
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My goal with this blog is to document my travels for the next year through Washington, Colorado, Chile, and beyond. To friends and family who wish to follow along, I am so happy to entertain you with the details of the highs and lows I'm sure I will experience in the next year.
I would also love it if anyone who wishes to would write comments! And by comments, I mean please write a comment so in-depth about your own life experiences that it takes me at least several minutes to read through ;) I'm imagining a blog environment where my post is one of many exciting updates on the lives of those nearest and dearest to me!
I will only be using first names in this blog, and will be asking all written about within it for their consent before publishing. I will be keeping my location descriptions interesting, albeit vague for my own peace of mind, and am hopefully aiming to post at least once a week, but I'm sure I'll have random thoughts often, so this may be a low goal.
Bear with me,
Faye
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