Staging

Everyone on the team's been traveling these last couple of weeks...

Kitwe to Chilubi

Kitwe to Ndola

Ohio to Texas

California to Urumqi

I have a bad tendency to pack the morning of a trip.  Since this one's a little different, I'm packing at least the day before

The "staging" mat used to be a dog bed.... before that it was my comforter when I lived in Ohio. Amazing that most of the equipment on the mat is going to fit in that small black pack at the top of the picture

I'll be eating 2000-2400 calories a day between freeze dry, bars, and salt snacks.  The rest of my energy will come from 10 lbs of body weight I gained in the last two weeks (another type of staging!)

For those who've asked, I'll try to keep my metabolism aerobic for most of the hike, but there's no telling what my body will resort to when the consumed calories burn off.  The biggest issues are hydration, blisters, and sun exposure. Hunger, should it happen, can be ignored...

Wonder what I'll want to eat when I get back to Cali?