Eeekkkk!

So I leave.  In about 2 weeks.  So soon that I have realized that I won't be able to use my Sunday-only ski pass before I go due to the holidays..... What have I done to prepare?  More or less nothing. Other than make a lot of lists that are not as organized as I feel they should be.  I have been told by those more practiced in long trips that I need to start packing now.  However, I will probably end up packing as I always do; minutes before I need to get my ass out the door and on the road.  Hopefully it will work as well as it usually does for me and I will not forget anything that will cause me to lose large amounts of time or money.  I also have secured a hotel.  for three nights after I get in.  So I won't be completely stranded when I show up in America... However, where I am staying in Haines prior to the ferry departing is still up in the air.  I don't know when I will be arriving in Haines exactly since I am trying to taking the potential for Alaskan weather to complicate things into account. 

At the moment, I am emotionally stressed out about the whole thing. I go from being super excited to completely terrified, oh fuck, what have I gotten myself into this time, I don't have a clue what I am doing or how to do it, help me! And then I think about how most of the things I have done have started that way. Almost all notable things in my life follow a similar process:

Step 1:  Anna comes up with some idea or becomes involved in some project

Step 2:  Anna is excited about the potential and possibilities of the afore mentioned idea/project/etc.

Step 3:  Anna starts trying to plan and organize and becomes quickly overwhelmed.  Realizes she has no experience whatsoever in the endeavor and has a lot of second thoughts about things. 

Step 4: (optional depending on the situation)  Anna somehow commits herself to the task so she can not back out.  Somewhere she knows she will be a better and cooler person for doing it.

Step 5:   Anna experiences emotional stress as Steps 2 and 3 repeat in a cyclical manner.

Step 6:  Anna finally has no choice but to execute the plan.  She is almost always thrilled with the results and realizes how dumb and unnecessary steps 3 and 5 are.

Right now I am at step 5.  So the good news is, step 6 is almost here and I can again feel dumb for the worrying.  The great part is that the more I do these things, the less intensely I experience steps 3 and 5.  At a certain point, I just have to trust myself that I am more than capable of doing these things.

So there are my thoughts on my first big solo trip.  Stay tuned for pictures of my packing.... whenever that happens!

And it begins..

I just decided on the first stop of my trip.... Vancouver!  I booked one of the "blind booked hotels" or whatever you call it in Vancouver and it looks awesome!  Ocean front and all fancy :) Not to mention a good deal!  So the official plan is that I will take the ferry and arrive in Bellingham and then head straight to Vancouver when I get in.  So I will be there for a few nights and who knows where I will go after that.