Packing light

I HATE packing. With a passion. Even when it is for something exciting. I just hate it. I find it overwhelming trying to decide what I will need and/or want while keeping things to a minimum. I prefer to take as little as possible whenever I travel, and this type of trip necessitates minimalism. I will be carrying it all on my back, after all. I tend to wear the same three outfits even here in the states where I have an abundance of clothing, so Im not worried that I wont have things I want to wear. Im more concerned that I will not have clothing appropriate for the weather. And as I will quite possibly be hitting all four seasons in the next 6 months (it's Spring there right now, but will probably be rather chilly when I get to Southern Chile/Argentina, and then Ill be thrown back into Summer when I get back to Buenos Aires around Christmas), I want to be prepared. Not to mention that my dad and I are starting out our adventure with a group of people who I am assuming are serious trekkers (more on that later), and we'd rather not show up looking like Country Bumpkin #1 and Country Bumpkin #2 in our starched jeans (ok, ok, so this is a bit of an exaggeration - but there was a time when this was his idea of proper hiking/skiing clothes. My how far we've come!) But I digress.....

So, in my attempt to take both that which I need and that which I want, I turn to my sister for guidance. This girl is good. She has traveled all over - Central America, South America, Europe, South Africa - and has (in my humble opinion, of course) mastered the art of traveling light, yet savvy. She left for Ecuador for three weeks before heading off to Peace Corps with nothing more than a school backpack. And dont think her sense of style gets sacrificed. No, No! Annelle ALWAYS manages to look so damn cute! So her advice? Ditch the thought that everything you take should be the typical "backpacker" clothing. And be sure to take a dress. A dress? Ok, I still have to locate that one, but she has a valid point. However, that still doesnt solve the dilemma of how to make sure I have clothing for every season and how to make it all fit in my bag. And it also does not make the packing part any easier. I STILL have to do it myself. Grrr. If only Rene were here...

And as I write this, please be aware that I am incredibly excited and grateful for this opportunity. Hating packing is just hating packing. 15 hours and counting, so perhaps I should start actually putting clothes into that backpack of mine!