Pack It Up, Pack It In

Let me begin…

The move to South Burlington we’ve been planning for months (years, in fact) happened this weekend.  Erin and I both thought we’d be more emotional about leaving our home of 11 years—so many fond memories—but perhaps it hasn’t set in yet.  Or perhaps there is still enough chaos to distract us.  Goodbye Tracy Drive, we’ll miss you!

The simplicity of living out of a backpack is cathartic.  Decisions about what to wear are easier.  You can find things much faster.  Stuff just doesn’t get lost.  Although the adage of “better to have it and not need it…” applies in normal life, packing for a minimalist experience helps guide what is truly necessary versus superfluous.  We will surely encounter situations where it would be nice to have something we left behind.  We’ll just improvise.

I spent Summer ’03 living out of a backpack traveling around California, Montana and Washington.  It was the simplest my life has ever been.  Although there were commitments each day with the summer course I was taking, the remainder of my time was spent however I wanted.  Read great books, walked everywhere, spent afternoons fantasizing about grad school and working as a smokejumper to help pay for it, hiked Yosemite, Big Sur, Glacier and the Bitterroot Wilderness, volunteered in a food pantry when I got lonely or hungry.  I will be seeking similar experiences with our upcoming journey.  This time with my own family to share it with.

Until then we’re enjoying our last week before departure in the new house.  We’re not unpacking until we return stateside so life feels like we’re in an oversized storage unit.  So much stuff.  Certainly enough chaos to distract us.  But thankfully everything I need is in my backpack, ready for Ecuador.  A good test of whether I have enough underwear for the week…and then maybe 8 more.