Ready or not we are off!

It’s the night before a yurt trip and I am anxious as always. Flash backs of food, poles, skins, beacons, gloves, sleeping bags, boots, and even skis forgotten by years of former yurt guests all cloud my mind with a thick fog of hesitation.  Then as if a long awaited breath to hungry lungs it is all clear again, this is a PRIVATE trip. The past years of preparing for such adventures have made packing into its own sacred ritual. Everything placed in my pack with care, sounding off a mental “check”.

 Then the thought of being engulfed by the wilderness exploring foreign terrain for the next few days brings with it a welcomed familiarity. My anxiety quickly gives into excitement. The list of lines I have been drooling over for years start piling up. Memories of giant beasts lurking in the vast nothing of the Bear River mountain range are clear as the present. I think of how many people before me stood in the same shadows of these giant mountains and were as awestruck by their enormity as I.

The excitement grows with each breath and now at the last second here it is... ready or not! We are leaving in a few hours. I just keep telling my self... This is living my dreams daily.