so a while ago, i gave you all a preview about what i was up to this fall. then i got busy actually doing it all and haven't shared an update. sorry about that.
today i leave for alaska, my first major adventure of the fall. the current plan is to fly to anchorage and in a few days, hop in a car with my friend, S, and drive back to virginia. but that's not all - S wants to go ALL the way down to new orleans and THEN back up. now, i'm not sure how your US + canada geography is but canada is huge and alaska is very very far away. this endeavor will involve driving almost all the way across canada and reentering the usa around north dakota. let's just glance at this map over here to the left. see alaska, obviously top left and then north dakota is in the middle (it's a green state) and virginia, way east (yellow). last night, S said the total mileage estimate was some enormous number like 6,000.
so. yeah. S has recognized that i have never driven in a car longer than 6 hours and even that wasn't all that recently -- he's worried about me. i've put it out there that i may want to be dropped off at a major airport along the way to jump ship. then S will have to continue on his own and that will be sad, but i just might not be able to handle it.
i am feeling incredibly unprepared for this trip and i can't pinpoint why although there are many factors that could be contributing. first of all, we'll be camping in the canadian wilderness for about a week; i've been camping before and i've spent lots of time in the snow, but i have not done both of these things together. do i have the right clothes? am i going to be freezing? i'm fully prepared to wear every article of clothing in my backpack while sleeping in a tent. but still, i'm nervous. the nerves i have are very different than any i had before unplanned trips last year, in fact, i was always more excited for unplanned things last year, but those trips were predictable.
it could also be that i've never done anything like this (camp in canada OR drive across the country) and it's just so vastly unknown that i can't wrap my brain around it. everyone has been telling me that this will be an amazing experience - a cross country road trip! when else will i have the chance?! and apparently we'll be "chasing autumn south," and fall is my favorite season, chasing it could be fun. my friend, A, told me yesterday that there's just something about a road trip that can't be described adequately; the passing views create a gorgeous panorama that you can't possibly recreate, you only know how beautiful it is if you're there, looking out the window (i wish i remembered exactly how eloquently he said that) -- and we all know how i feel about a good bella vista.
it's not that i'm not excited, because i am. i know it will be an incredible experience that i might not ever get the chance to have again and that's exciting.
stay tuned, hopefully i'll be able to update along the way. i can tell you how cold i am, how beautiful the sights are, and how excited i am for a shower.
x!
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