Ready, Set...

But are we really ready?! With our trip to Colorado fast approaching, we began gathering gear like squirrels gathering nuts. This and that and the other thing all got put in the pile on the couch, divided down the center to be "his" and "hers".

We did our share of running here and there to get more of this and that... I, for one, stocked up on some gear I feared was lacking -- long underwear (light and medium weight), sports underwear (wicking -- very important) and toiletries (I am a girl, after all). We washed the gear we were using -- jackets, pants, layering materials -- and nervously checked and rechecked our piles.

We added the level 2 items -- good to have but can live without -- including a variety of cables for the iPads (to watch Netflix or movies as needed on the resort TV), headphones, street clothes and cameras/supplies. Music and maps for our navigation apps were checked and movies were rented.
Travel documents were stapled, organized and double-checked. These ranged from the trip itinerary (thank you TripIt you ARE a lifesaver!), to the rental car certificate and pages and pages of trail recommendations.

When we did the final packing on Friday, February 11, we were more that a little surprised. We had a lot of stuff!!!! So much for being careful...

We have never taken so much on an airplane before!

We each carried on our Tranpacks (the grey bag at the front of the photo and its twin in red at the rear). These contained our ski clothes, my helmet, and one of Michael's boots. The long blue bag was home to our skis and poles. The blue bag on top of it had my boots and Michael's other (it and the skis being our one item). The big grey duffel held our street clothes, toiletries, and Mike's helmet. The white tote was my second carry-on and Mike's little carry-on isn't visible here.

So, we packed them, we had to carry them. Holy moly!

I'll continue with tales of our adventure over the coming days. Stay tuned!