Packing!

We left for a family vacation and now we are stopping back through town for a show that Brenton's band is playing at the Bourbon Theater. Tonight after the show its off to Montana to begin our pilgrimage towards the ever beckoning west; the perpetual site of the sunset begging for our participation in the prospect of discovery like every adventurer for ages who felt that he or she might find something worth stumbling upon from the promise that wildness so surely boasts, even as wild winks away in the modern sunset over an, at once, bloated and depleted west.

Now, the question is what underwear to bring! Out of all of my dilemmas of what to bring on this trip, my poor abused backside is on the front of my mind. Bike shorts with padding are meant to add comfort by wicking away moisture and keeping that very vulnerable and chaffable skin dry, but my experience with them has always been that they soak up sweat and hold it right on my buns where a rosy rash blooms. Perhaps I need to invest in some higher quality shorts, or even some with minimal padding, but my cheeks seem to do better without. I decided to invest in some backpacker's undies so that they would be super light, moisture wicking, odor resistant, and all in all anti-butt-rash. I ordered one pair of Exoficcio underwear that are bragged to be wearable without washing for six days, (not that I intend to do so). Today I stumbled upon a second pair that happened to be 50% off at Moose's Tooth, however, were not the specific cut, color, or size that I would usually go for but were close enough that I couldn't pass up the deal. There is truly only one way to describe these knickers; GRANNY PANTIES. You're welcome Brenton.

One of the sexiest undergarments known to man, my bargain panties. I put them next to the normal backpacking panties in this picture to put into perspective just how attractively large these whities are!

The other big quandary that we debated was about shoes. We both have mountain biking shoes that clip into our pedals in order to maximize efficiency. We will definitely bring those and a pair of water proof sandals, (I swear by old school Tevas, while Brenton is rocking a new pair of Chacos), but we have gone back and forth about whether to bring hiking boots. We finally decided they may be necessary, after recalling last summer's frigid strolls on the beach of Olympic National Forrest in Washington. Sandals would be too exposing, and I can't imagine that bike cleats work terribly well on sand.

All of my clothing for the whole trip, plus shoes and rain gear.

Brenton's clothing, shoes, and rain gear for the trip.

We kept all other clothing items to a minimum in order to save weight and room, with only enough to get us through around a week without needing desperately to find a laundromat or clean creek. We are bringing castille soap with us, which is an all natural, (as in made from a plant and non-harmful to the environment), biodegradable, all-purpose soap. By all purpose I literally mean that you can brush your teeth, wash your hair, wash your clothes and dishes, and anything else with this miracle product.