Slacking and Packing

This past week I wrapped up my adventures in the South with one last road trip. I got wind of another 12-15 inches of snow brewing for the DC area, so I got the heck out of dodge and headed down to Farmville on Tuesday. There was a wintery mix that night that brought an inch or two of snow but nothing compared to what I would have endured in NOVA. I spent a few days visiting friends to say my goodbyes, got my last US haircut from Mack and made one last climb on the wall that started it all. The weather was still a little cold for my liking so I jumped back in the car on Friday and drove to Charlotte, NC. As luck would have it a little gray cloud followed me the whole way and began dumping snow as soon as I got into town. Sunday I retreated even farther south to Charleston, SC where finally I managed to find a tolerable climate. Two days [too short] later I started working my way back up the coast and finally arrived back home in Jersey yesterday evening.

Now that I'm home I've really got to buckle down and start getting things together to leave for Senegal. Time has been sneaking past me and I didn't realize how close my departure really is! So the next few days will be devoted to packing and pulling together some last-minute paperwork. For those of you who are curious as to what I'll be bringing here's my packing list. I'm sure I'll throw in a few last-minute additions but for the most part it's pretty comprehensive.

Bags
__ Gregory Pack
__ North Face Daypack
__ Backpack
__ Brown striped cloth bag

Technology
__ Netbook & Charger
__ 60W Solar Charger
__ Ipod & Cable
__ Watch
__ Battery Powered Alarm Clock
__ Batteries
__ Digital Camera, Cord, SD Cards, Batteries & Charger
__ Jump Drive
__ French Adapter
__ 2 Headlamps
__ Speakers for Ipod

Gear
__ Climbing Rope
__ Harness
__ Chalk Bag
__ Climbing shoes
__ Quickdraws & Carabiners
__ Trad Rack
__ Webbing
__ Duct Tape
__ Good Scissors
__ Combination Lock
__ Knife and Whetstone
__ Flint
__ Leatherman
__ 2 Pair Sunglasses
__ Guidebooks


Cold Gear
__ Down Jacket (in drybag stuff sac)
__ North Face Fleece
__ Underarmour Gloves
__ Snowboarding Socks
__ Capeline Pants
__ Green Capeline shirt
__ Earwarmer
__ Marmot Precip

Shoes
__ Keens
__ 5.10 Guide Shoes
__ Sneakers (?)

Bottoms
__ 3 Pair Pants
__ Black Royal Robbins Skirt
__ Olive Short Pants
__ Brown Belt
__ Black Belt

Tops
__ 2 Cloudveil Longsleeves
__ REI Sahara Shirt
__ Blue North Face Short Sleeve
__ Green Colombia Short Sleeve
__ Black Tank Top
__ Brown Tank Top

Underwear
__ 4 Sports Bras
__ 1 Regular Bra
__ 4 Pairs Ex Officio Underwear
__ 1 Pair Smartwool Socks
__ 1 Pair Liner Socks
__ 2 Pair Black Ankle Socks
__ Baithing Suit
__ 2 Bandanas

Toiletries
__ Shampoo & Conditioner
__ Facewash
__ Hairbrush
__ Toothbrush
__ Toothpaste
__ Qtips
__ Deodorant
__ Bar Soap and Container
__ Small Mirror
__ Razor & Shaving Cream
__ Hand Sanitizer
__ Fingernail Clippers
__ Hair Ties
__ Pack towel
__ Sunscreen

Sleeping Stuff
__ Fitted and Flat Sheet
__ Thermarest
__ Sleeping Bag
__ Compactable Pillow

Drugs
__ Ibuprofen
__ Tylenol
__ Pepto
__ Iron
__ Multivitamin
__ Inhaler
__ Benadryl
__ Garlic Tablets

Food/Kitchen Stuff
__ Quart and Gallon Ziploc Bags
__ 2 Nalgene Bottles
__ Platypus Soft Bottle
__ Kitchen Knife
__ Chai Tea
__ Spices

Supplies
__ 3 Journals/Notebooks
__ Pens & Pencils
__ Planner
__ World Map
__ French dictionary
__ 3 Copies of Passport
__ Laminated Pictures
__ Stamps
__ Mini Stapler and Staples
__ Index Cards

Entertainment
__ Ukulele
__ Frisbee
__ Uno
__ Cards
__ Dice
__ Climbing videos

Snowpocalypse 2010

I'll be honest...when I heard the forecast called for two feet of snow in the DC metro area this weekend I was a bit skeptical. I figured we would get 10-12 inches at best. Looks like me and the weather man were both wrong...we got 32 inches! I was already planning on visiting Maddie and Jon in Fredrick, MD on Friday so I took along a few extra things just in case I was snowed in. Good thing I did because my car was literally buried in a snowdrift and the roads were so bad that I couldn't even attempt to leave until this morning. It was a great little mini-vacation though...we baked bread and brewed beer and watched the Caps game and the Super Bowl. They are calling for another 10-12 inches of snow for Tuesday and Wednesday and this time I'm taking it seriously!

Staging

I got my staging email from the Peace Corps today... I'll be spending my last two days in the States in Washington DC! Staging is at the Holiday Inn in Georgetown on March 8th and 9th, and our flight leaves out of Dulles on the 9th at 5:40pm. From there its 8 hours to Dakar for the start of a very challenging and rewarding two years!

Snowboarding and Car Sliding!

Yesterday Erin and I drove to Wintergreen for some snowboarding and conditions couldn't have been more perfect....for snowboarding, not for driving. We got there around noon just as the snow began, and it got progressively heavier throughout the day. By the time we got back to my car at 8 we had to clear off about 7 inches. That much snowfall combined with the fact that the places was absolutely deserted made for the best day on the slopes I've ever had. Unfortunately it also turned what should have been a 2.5 hour drive home into a five and a half hour epic complete with brake malfunction, 15mph maximum speeds and murderous tractor trailer drivers hell bent on running us off the road. I'm exhausted today, but it was totally worth it. In fact, we plan on going back next Tuesday as well!

The car at noon...

...and at 8pm