The Tao of Packing

I hate packing, so I procrastinate. After years of traveling together on backpacking trips or international vacations or long flights from Alaska to visit our families on the East Coast, we’ve perfected the art of packing light. Sort of. It’s not easy. Old Bay is better at it than I. On a trip like this, our inclination to pack light has its rewards; the less we pack, the less we have to carry on our walk. So what are we bringing, anyway?

First of all, there’s the question of the books. I decided on the Tao de Ching, since I already own a lightweight copy. At the last minute, I grabbed the Bhagavad-Gita off the shelf next to it. I’ve had it for years. Never read it. Maybe now is the time. It’s only a couple of ounces. But it has dawned on me that on this very Christian pilgrimage route that maybe it’s a good time to consult with the early Christian mystics. Too bad I don’t have time to do any research on that, so maybe we’ll come across something appropriate en route. In any case, now that I’m sitting at the airport, I realize that I haven’t brought any light reading. I don’t relish the idea of reading the Gita on the flight over the Atlantic. So I’m thinking of picking up a copy of Jonathon Franzen’s new novel, Freedom, which seems to be all the rage. But that’s a large hardcover book, so maybe not.

What I am bringing instead of heavy books is my netbook. I experienced some angst over this, especially since I already have two other pieces of electronic crap—an iPod and my digital camera. All of these things come with power cords, which need a special adaptor for the electrical outlets in Europe. But the netbook made the cut because I imagine being able to make blog posts with it. I’m making the choice for you, our readers. By doing this blog in the first place, I figure we’re already compromising the spiritual purity of our pilgrimage, or at least adapting it to our modern world, so I’m going whole hog.

And frankly, we don’t have a lot else to bring with us. Since we’ll be staying in pilgrim hostels and walking through towns that have lots of food options, we don’t need to carry a tent or cooking gear. It’s not like real backpacking. We have silk travel sheets, but the hostels will probably provide bedding too.

The biggest challenge has been the clothing, since we’re not entirely sure what kind of weather to expect. We have a minimal amount of clothing, most of which can be layered. I did insist that we stop at REI for a new softshell jacket for me to bring along, and soon after felt very spoiled as we passed a woman begging at a major intersection of a major US city. This whole trip may be a pilgrimage, but it’s an indulgence, no question about that. We’re not early Christians making our one expected lifetime pilgrimage in which we put everything on the line for our religious duty.

However, we did leave some important things at home, including our dogs. They’re with Old Bay’s parents. You can check us all our in our “holiday” photo, which we managed to take the morning before we left but did not manage to actually send to family and friends in traditional Christmas-card style. So, for those of you reading, here ya go!