Holly crap! In just a few days I will be on my way to Peru. It’s pretty surreal. I can’t believe that all my planning and preparing over the past nine months are about to be put to the test. Time has really crept up on me these past couple of months. All along I felt as if I had lots of time. The next thing I know I’m counting down the days.

This past weekend I started packing my bags. What a chore! I might also add that it’s a little stressful. I keep worrying about bringing too much or too little. I also keep thinking that I’m forgetting something. Let me tell you, I will be really glad once I arrive in Peru so that I finally know what I forgot to pack.

Yes the packing is tough, probably because I’m essentially packing for two different trips. There’s the backpacking around Peru part, and then there’s the mountain climbing part. After packing all my climbing gear and winter clothes in my duffle bag, I sure am glad that I won’t have to haul all that crap around Peru.

Ok, so packing may not be as bad as I make it out to be. There have been some highlights. For example, I got to prepare my pee bottle!

Yes, that may sound a little hillbillyish, but where else are you going to relieve yourself in the middle of the night when you’re sleeping on a mountain ledge at 17,000 feet above sea level. I’m sure not going to be the guy who falls off a mountain while making pee-pee.

Well, I should really get back to packing. I’ve still got a few more things to go through.

Until next time…

Well I’ve only got about five more weeks until I leave for Peru. Lately I have been frantically trying to figure out what to bring with me and what to leave at home. In the mean time I’ve come up with a tentative gear list. I say tentative because I’m pretty sure this list will change before I leave. I also haven’t included some of the basics such as personal hygiene items.

Wow I can’t believe I haven’t wrote anything new in almost two months. Things have been a little crazy around here as I have been busy training and preparing for the trip. Oh I have a been in contact with someone who I will be travelling across Peru with on the GAP Adventures tour. I’m really looking forward to meeting more people who will be on the tour.

I think I’ve finally got all my gear sorted out. I have arranged for all my climbing gear to be sent up to Huaraz as soon as I get into Lima. I’m really happy I was able to do this as I won’t have to carry any extra gear around Peru until I actually need to use it when I’m mountain climbing.

Since some people have been asking me about the gear that I will be using down in Peru, I will put together a gear list and post it on this blog. Potential gear sponsors take note

I’m still going to the gym on a regular basis. Unfortunately I had to stop running a while back as I some how managed to hurt my foot. Instead of running I’ve been using some of the different cardio machines at the gym, as well as going for the occasional bike ride. On a positive note, my foot has been feeling much better these last couple of weeks, so I think I’m going to try running again tomorrow night. Besides going to the gym and going for the occasional bike ride, I have also gone indoor wall climbing on several occasions. Here are a couple pictures from the climbing gym and also from a recent snowboarding trip to Holiday Mountain.

Well that’s it for now. This Friday I leave for San Diego. I must say I’m really looking forward to the warm weather. I’ll be sure to post a trip report when I get back.

Okay, I have finally finished working out the details for the last three weeks of my trip. I have worked out a sweet itinerary with a company called Skyline Adventure School. This company is run by a former Outward Bound instructor and is based out of Huaraz, Peru. I’ve added the details to the Itinerary page.

Basically my additional time will be based out of Huaraz, Peru. I will be going on more acclimatization treks to get used to the altitude. I will also be taking a six day mountaineering course on Yanapaccha. The time spent on Yanapaccha should greatly help out with my acclimatization and is crucial before heading on to the next mountain, Chopicalqui, which is a towering 6386m (20,951 feet).

There are also a few days where I have nothing scheduled. Depending on how I feel or what’s going on, I would like to fit in some mountain biking into the schedule. We’ll have to wait and see what’s going on. These days may have to be used as cerveza days

Well I just recently got the approval from my boss to take an additional three weeks off from work. Thanks Kim! So what have I got planned for my extra time in Peru? Well I’m still working out the details with a local adventure company, but all I can say is that my additional time in Peru will be spent in the Cordillera Blanca range of the Andes mountains and will involve trekking, climbing, pack mules, and more alpacas!

Well it looks like things are starting to come together. I’ve made all my travel arrangements with G.A.P. Adventures and I have booked my plane tickets. The people at G.A.P. have been very helpful and so far I am very pleased with their service.

The flight from Winnipeg to Lima will take around 13 hours, which includes a stop in Toronto. I’m really glad that I only have one layover and that it happens to be in Canada. This makes things much easier than going through the United States. I must add that I was quite surprised when I found out that Peru is in the same time zone as Winnipeg. This should help reduce jet lag.

I’ve added several interesting links under the Links category. Let me know if you come across any other related links and I’ll post them up if they’re any good.

I’ve also added a countdown timer to this blog. Only 7 months, 20 days, 20 hours, and a few odd minutes to go! Man it’s going to be a long winter!

Woo hoo! I’m going to Peru! Well I finally made the decision to travel to Peru. Now all I need to do is figure out how I’m going to get there and what I’m going to do once I arrive.