The Background

All right, I'm back.  I think I figured out how to set this thing up, and now I've got it loaded on my iPhone so I can write from my tent during the trek.  So I think I'll get started - by giving a little background on the trip.

Dad was planning on taking this trek with his friend Dick from high school (that would have been during the Stone Age, right Dad?).  Unfortunately Dick had a pretty horrible skiing accident last winter, and had to back out of the trip because he likely wouldn't be healed enough for the hike.  Instead of leaving Dad to go by himself... I decided join him!  It's not every day that an opportunity arises to go to the Himalayas for a multi-day hiking trip.  Right?

So I signed up for the trip.  Our itinerary, which still seems unbelievable to me, is as follows:

We will be 2 nights in Bangkok, Thailand, then 2 nights in Paro, Bhutan, followed by 9 nights on trail hiking and camping along the base of the Himalayas.  It is called the Jomolhari Trek, and I'm sure I will give a MUCH more detailed description of what it entails as this blog progresses.  Finally, we finish with 2 nights in Thimphu, Bhutan, and then back through Bangkok on our way home.  In total, we will be gone for almost three weeks!

Since I decided to join the trip back in May, it's been a whirlwind of preparations. 
- First, I needed a new sleeping bag, warm enough to keep me cozy when the temps fall below freezing.  In case you're wondering, I don't think I've ever camped below freezing before!

- New hiking boots, of course - because my trusty old boots had been my loyal partners for over a decade.  Since they were already de-laminating, I didn't think they would survive a trip across the world for 11 days of hiking.  And even if they did... I'm not sure my feet would have appreciated it very much.

- Backpack, better raincoat, hiking poles... you get the idea. For someone who feels like I spend a lot of time in the woods, I sure needed a lot of new stuff for an extended trip like this!

- Oh, and I wouldn't want to forget the meds.  Two needles and an oral vaccine, to keep me healthy on the trip... plus a drug to help me acclimate to higher altitude... and a boatload of other prescriptions "just in case" I 1) get altitude sickness anyway, 2) eat something foreign that my system doesn't like, or 3) come down with some kind of infection while hundreds of miles from modern medical help.  Whew!

The most fun part of preparations, however, was the physical aspect.  Patrick and I spent more time hiking this summer - in Montana, Wyoming, and all over Minnesota - than we have in years.  It has been truly awesome, and I hope we keep it up after the trip.  I don't know about you all, but nothing heals my soul quite like being in the woods.