Bronze's Expedition Log

I have but a week left until my last day of work. I find that my to-do list is much reduced, to the point that I often find myself racking my brain for some form of industry or preparation to set upon. Surely there must be some small task or activity that, one month into the expedition, I will curse myself for not having had the foresight to complete. It is an unsettling feeling to have spent the last 15 months in near constant preparation only to now find myself with a surfeit of leisure time.

Tasks remaining to be completed include: fashioning a leather sling for my waterskin, sharpening my knives and tomahawk, acquiring the necessary equestrian medical supplies, purchasing a grazing hobble, activating my satellite phone, and making a large quantity of char cloth.  I would also like to trim a bit off of my fleece pelt and use said trimmings to fashion insoles for my moccasins, and shoulder pads for my haversack and water skin.  For reasons of expediency I’ve decided to leave the majority of these tasks for completion upon arrival in Oregon.

I hope to have all my affairs in California concluded in time to allow for a departure of June 10.  I’ve decided to make my way to Oregon along the coastal route, which will afford me several days of pastoral scenery and fresh air, as opposed to hot inland valleys and two substantial passes to climb.  I’ll stop in the bay area to leave four weeks worth of rations and supplies with my Central California support person.  I feel that 4 days will be ample time to make the drive.

Once in Oregon I can be on the trail as soon as the rest of my pemmican is made.  It seems feasible to depart by June 21.  Even allowing a cushion of several days this still puts me ahead of my initial plan to leave July 1.

Though not yet June, my mind already contemplates the impending arrival of winter snows in the Sierra.  In an average year I should have until October to make it out of the mountains; will this year be average?  Will I again curse myself for spending one extra day in Oregon to visit family, when the October snow stymies me a mere one day’s walk from Onyx?

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 27th, 2009 at 11:15 pm and is filed under Sutler's Journal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.