The packing is done, and I am motivated to start the trek. We began the day with a walkthrough of the trek. Our guide “G” explained the different checkpoints for when we start to travel tomorrow. Mainly just passing towns, so we have a reference of where we are. He also described the villages we will pass, the ridge most of our trek takes place on, and the river we will follow on our descent. Soon after the completion of the walk we started packing everything. This includes food, team items, and obviously personal items.

             The entire group worked together on packaging and organizing the food. Some were making the individual trail mix bags, some were weighing out and organizing ingredients, and some were preparing the spices. The process went relatively quickly as we were able to complete the packaging of all of the food in close to an hour. Once we had the food done, we moved on to team items.

             The team items consisted of things such as the tent or the stove. We got into our teams of three and checked all the items we were supposed to have to ensure that we were prepared to go on this trek. Once the check was complete, we divided the food and the group items once again. I got a tent and a ton of pasta. This is when everyone broke off to individually pack up their gear.

             At first, I was looking at my pile and I was a little bit worried about where all of the gear, food, and everything else I was bringing would fit. Eventually, as I began with my sleeping bag and inflatable pad, I realized I would have plenty of space. I shoved and shoved and shoved a little bit more until I was able to fit everything I needed. My bag weighed around 58 pounds, so with water and a few other items, it will most likely be around 62 to 65 pounds tomorrow. This will not be much of an issue though since a large if not all of the food I have will be eaten by the end of the trek. Once I completed this a few of the group members and I went to an outdoor shop to check if they had anything we wanted.

             The Hanifl Centre conveniently got us a ride to the shop to save us a good bit of walking time. Once we got to the small store, we walked in and tried some fleece and other things on but did not buy anything this time. Instead of making the trip pointless, we walked to a close store to get some snacks to enjoy before the trek. We made our way back and this is where my anxiety set in a little bit as everyone seemed to finalize their packing.

             I got anxious because I do not want myself or anyone else to forget something that is a necessity. Needing something and not having it for ten days is a big concern of mine. However, as we checked each other’s bags I now feel much more comfortable and prepared for the trek. Other than this I don’t have many concerns, except for getting to our drop-off location. This is due to the fact that we must get up very early to pack, eat breakfast, and beat the traffic.

Overall, I know that with any problems that come our way, we will overcome them. Especially since we have so much gear packed and have high motivation for the trek. The trek is the next step for the group and I is to continue bettering ourselves.