As much as I am looking forward to being up north this weekend, I really dislike packing. I always feel like I have too much stuff *and* that I am forgetting something important. Part of this is that I don't own any proper luggage. Not even an overnight bag. Everything I need must be pack in small duffle bags and backpacks, rather inefficient things for carrying it all. Another reason is that I really do have a lot of stuff.
I will be there for three days. Up north in the summer it can be quite warm during the day and bloody cold at night. So, in addition to three days of shorts and t-shirts, I have to pack a pair of jeans and something warm and long-sleeved. The warm clothes alone fill most of my little duffle. Being in the woods, I may want to hike, so I pack boots. Being on a lake, I may want to canoe, so I pack my waterproof hiking sandals. Being summer, I pack a pair of canvas tennis shoes for normal wear. Given that I will be sleeping at the bottom of a long, steep hill, with the outhouse at the top of said hill, I pack a pair of slip on tennies for late-night bathroom runs. That's a lot of shoes! I also need sunblock for the sun, bug spray for the bugs, my life jacket for the possible canoeing, and a flashlight (again for latenight bathroom trips). I'm a photographer, so I'd damn well better pack camera stuff and film. Swimsuit and towel....It really adds up fast. This, I believe, is part of the reason I don't travel much. Too much stuff.
