Looking to get Gunky next weekend

I've been going out of town a lot the past couple of weeks - for both work and holiday. All good stuff. And I'll be continuing the habit this coming week on a work trip to Boston.

Afterwards, the plan is to drive down to NYC for the weekend, meet a friend of mine, and do some climbing just north of the city at The Gunks; I have been wanting to get more outdoor climbing under my belt and the opportunity seems perfect (if the weather is good enough, that is).

We discussed the logistics for this adventure (and will probably come down to some last minute decisions) and I suggested that we camp near The Gunks Friday night, climb all day on Saturday, then drive back into NYC Saturday night; I'll fly back to SF Sunday afternoon. Sounds good, but - man-o-man - I'll have to bring a tent, sleeping bags, headlamps, etc. - the whole 9 yards of gear, so to speak - just for ONE night of early (early!) spring camping on the East Coast (plus mine and my friend's climbing gear). Still, even though it seems a little silly, I said: "what the hell"; I'm willing to haul that garbage out from San Francisco and do it up in comfortable(ish) outdoor style.

But my friend reminds me - did I mention this is a guy I met at BOSS last May? - that "wtf [sic] do we camping gear for? didn't [sic] we drop a crap load of money last year to learn how to handle ourselves w/o such pansy creature comforts?" True 'dat.

But he also goes on to say, "sleeping bags are nice".

And I couldn't agree more. haha. That is, it's nice to know that I can - physically and mentally - handle myself in a survival situation with minimal gear (think: no sleeping bag, no tent, no backpack, no food), but I will be the first one to tell you that I still prefer the option of using straightforward, good-quality, modern gear, given the choice. No doubt. (And, like, duh.)

Mind you, *my* version of camping - 0 degree down bag et. al. - is still another person's worst nightmare of sleeping on the ground, eating minimally, and hiking mad distances, but, shoot, I wouldn't have it any other way. I mean, the rest of the time I'm in my most preferred environment - well-stocked fridge and hot shower close at hand - so I'm willing to rough it every once in a while. ;)

In any case, I might get a chance to do some outdoor climbing *this* weekend, much closer to home at Mount St. Helena, but here, too, we're still at the mercy of the weather, chance of rain in the forecast and all. She's the boss! And if it's a no-go, there *is* always the gym (at least until the big one hits and our indoors become our outdoors).

I will not break you all covered up in wool

This past week I've had to buy a few pieces of gear for my upcoming BOSS Field course - specifically, a wool blanket and a fleece jacket, as well as a few items on order: a hardcore poncho and a sheath knife - and I've been joking with folks about how the need to buy anything at all had been totally unexpected. I mean, I've done some backpacking in my day and consequently have amassed a little stash of the gear deemed reasonable - from a modern perspective - for most any multi-day outing in all but the harshest of conditions (ex. winter storms, technical approaches/climbing, etc.). Yes, so regardless of the fact I pack light - go FAST! - in general, I still have things like a small tent, a sleeping bag.. and a backpack to carry it all. But yet, it was not enough..

Or, I should really say that the modern gear list does not jive with the one proposed by BOSS (and required) for their Field course, which is most notable for what it does NOT have on it. A tent, a sleeping bag, a backpack? The wilds of deserts or mountains be damned, this gear is no-can-do during my time in Utah. And I will surely miss thee..

But I think I will miss the food and water during the "Impact" phase (i.e. the first three or four days) the most. haha. What thoughts go through one's head under such adverse and, thankfully, foreign conditions? I can take a guess, of course, and perhaps my guess is more educated than that of most people.. I have certainly been massively dehydrated before, have literally fallen over from leg cramps during a few lengthy running and biking outings, have gone on overnight hikes with no food.. but the temporal scope for the BOSS course is much longer than I've endured before, and I'm not sure what to expect for the pace of activity and how that will affect my overall state. That is, I've only really hit upon these bodily limits after high intensity, relatively short term (i.e. 3-6 hour) outings, but I think here the hiking will be medium-to-slow-ish and so my body should have time to adapt to the limited, or *ahem* non-existent, food supply.

Further, I'm expecting, if this is true, to slip into a mindset, or, maybe more accurately, into a mode of existence that is simpler and more primitive than my normal, daily life dictated by a "Western" society (we know that this term hinges on historical legacy, given surging economies all over the world - but I digress).

But what exactly does that mean: Man of heightened senses or walking zombie? Or.. something else? I think I might take the easy way out right now and go with the last one - the something else - if only because I know the situation will demand that I tap, subconsciously anyway, into a mix of primal elements, both of a physical and spiritual nature. Wow.. more vagueries. But what can you do; what can you expect? These things, these feelings, are ancient and global and start to get at the heart of what it means to be alive and sentient and free, but, still, they are new to me.. haha.

Ah, but to get back to the discussion on gear, all is not lost! We will learn how to use our wool blanket as both backpack and bedding, our poncho as groundcover and/or roof, as required.. skills I certainly have not had the *need* for up until now, but who knows what applications one will find in the future, in the outdoors or otherwise. At the least, it could make for an interesting picnic, or, if I'm more bold, cocktail party. Wine glasses, I will not break you all snuggled up in wool..