One month to go....
With one month until Alex and I begin the Te Araroa, the reality of what we are about to do is starting to set in. Of course there are some nerves but mostly excitement. I have been preparing for the moment we step off from Cape Regina for over seven months now.
Even with seven months of preparation, there still remains a lot between now and October 10th. Alex and I both need to finish out our last few weeks at work, the last bits of our equipment need to be gathered, and I am getting a procedure done on my nose this week.
We have decided to add the Garmin inReach satellite phone to my pack as well as a light-weight titanium frying pan. The satellite phone connects to my iPhone via bluetooth giving me near unlimited range as long as we have clear skies. We will be using it exclusively for safety measures. After further discussion on our diet during the trip, Alex and I decided a frying pan will open up our meal options even further. This will be significantly easier than trying to cook our protein in our limited pot space. This was decided partially as an effort to avoid canned tuna and salmon, typically a trip staple. The frying pan may end up being a non-essential item. If we deem it as such, we will put it in our bounce box.
As mentioned above, I am getting a procedure on my nose on September 12th. While I feel that I am in great shape to tackle the TA, I noticed a few months back that I was having trouble breathing. A few doctors appointments later revealed two large deviations in my septum among other sinus issues. According to my doctor, this has likely been like this my whole life. The hope is that for the first time in my life, I will actually be able to breathe easily through my nose which will make hiking extended distances easier. The recovery should only take two weeks although my nose will likely be swollen for the first few weeks of the trip.
Collectively, Alex and I will be circling the globe to meet in Auckland. He will be flying to Hawai’i with his sister and spend a week there before departing for Melbourne, then Auckland. On the other hand, I will be flying from Washington to Auckland with a short layover in Dubai. Alex should be mostly adjusted to Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time by the time he departs. The 22 hour time difference means he will lose a whole day when he lands in Auckland but will only have a two hour time difference to adjust to. I will have to deal with a 16 hour time difference between Washington and Auckland. The first two days are going to be brutal.
--Ethan