Talking
the tramping talk
19 March, 2000
We had our friend Bill, whom I'm going tramping with in April, round for dinner last night. After dinner we sat down and talked about possible routes for the trip, pouring over the maps I'd laid out on the floor. Deb was sitting across the room, and every now and then I'd catch this big grin on her face. She told me this morning that she was grinning at us.
Partly it was that we were talking the talk, but mainly it was how we both had the concept of the route we wanted to take in our minds — both from the maps and from our past experience of being up there. So we'd talk about this being a hard bit, or this day being a long one, or needing good weather to cover this stretch of the route.
I love planning for trips. I think about what equipment I need to take with me. If I'm lucky I might need to go buy something. If I'm even luckier, I might be able to afford to buy it! I plan the menu, visualise the route in my head. Closer to the day I'll dig my boots out and waterproof them, and check the primus and clean my pack. And everything will have this smell of tramping about it. A slightly musty, slightly smoky, outdoors smell. The smell of long nights in cold huts, and candles, and wet bush.
I've been walking quite a lot these past two weeks, trying to get myself fit for the tramp. All around our area, between 40 and 70 minute walks. I've taken Matty on a lot of them, pushing him in the pram. He sits there, looking out as we walk. I think he enjoys seeing the different scenery. Most times he falls asleep towards the end of the walk, lulled by the motion of the pram
On Saturday Deb came along with us, and we talked of taking Matthew ravelling with us one day. Perhaps a cycle trip somewhere. I think it would be wonderful to go on a long trip as a family, I'd have no hesitation about taking him out of school for a few months to do that. He'd learn so much more ravelling.
That, of course, is my ulterior motive in writing this journal. To have people all around the world to stay with when we finally do go travelling again.
Be very worried that one day you might get an e-mail from me along the lines that I'll be in your town soon, needing somewhere to stay!