Voyaguers National Park by the Numbers:

8 students

4 instructors

6 canoes

1 hotel

1 National Park

3 camp sites

3 camp site breakfasts

3 lake side lunches

3 camp site dinners

4 L of water filtered in 2.5 minutes 6 times a day

3 bald eagles

4 loons

3 giant spiders

12 squirrels or 3 squirrels 4 times

1 beautiful sunrise

1 billion stars and the Milky Way

40 miles paddling 

1 failed portage

1,117 miles in a bus hauling canoes

18 mosquito bites

4 new calluses on my hands

11 new friends 

1 adventure for a lifetime

 

The Sunrise Paddle

On the last day we all woke up at 4:30 AM to pack up camp and eat a quick oatmeal breakfast. By the time we got the canoes loaded light was starting to break. We only had a couple miles to paddle to the boat launch and got to watch the sun rise on our way there. Still tired from the long day yesterday but calm and in awe of the beauty around us. The lake was like glass, the only sound was our paddles in the water, the sunrise reflected off the lake in pink and blue muted color. One lonely loon waited for us near the boat ramp and called out while we packed up the bus. 

Our instructors kept commenting on how efficient our class was and how well we work together to make sure there was always fresh water filtering or helping each other in and out of canoes or to light the camp stove. I could not ask for a better group of people to share this amazing experience with. 

The long bus ride home included a couple of stops for lunch and New Glarus beer from Wisconsin. I was happy to have an ice cold McD's Coke! We arrived back at the College of DuPage around 7pm, unloaded the bus, hung up the tents and sleeping bags, and put the gear away. We said our good byes and got our commemorative t-shirt. Happy I did it. Adventure enriches my soul! 

 

How much further?

Another morning with an awesome breakfast for my boat buddy and me. We had oddly shaped pancakes (the "skillet" wasn't exactly flat on the bottom) with bacon. We have become quite efficient and in sync in the mornings. One is cooking the other packing up the tent or filtering water for dishes.

Our failed portage yesterday left a nice part of Voyaguers unseen so we paddled back that direction to check out the pictographs on some tall stone walls either on the lake shore or on the islands. We saw some cool rock formations but no real pictographs. My boating buddy is an experienced rock climber and showed off her skills attempting to scale the wall. She can now say she climbed a wall in Canada! This excursion added about 5 miles to our already big day. We took a few breaks and had lunch on a sandbar where we had time to go swimming a cool off. I had tuna with mayo, crackers, trail mix, and lemon cookies. One of the guys caught a nice bass but while everyone was taking pictures managed to drop it back in the lake and away it went. Boo. No fish for dinner. A long track after lunch ran us up to 15 miles for the day. To pass the time Maggie and I played games, that I mostly hated, like 20 questions. We gave book synopsis's and told stories from our lives. That distracted us from the fatigue and pain in our arms, shoulders, legs, and butts. Maggie tell me a story! We paddled into camp around 5 PM exhausted! This camp is closer to civilization and had some pretty sweet amenities, mainly a bathroom with toilet paper, walls, door, and roof. No sink, no flushing. We were also able to pack away our water filtration devices and use a well pump to get fresh water. I took a "bath" in the lake and laid on the dock in the sun to dry while the guys tried again to catch fish dinner. They failed. The camp sites were wooded and filled with mosquitos. By dinner time we all broke out the 100% Deet! Dinner tonight was creamy potato soup with bacon bits on top. Yum. Fast and easy. Once we were all cleaned up and prepped for the morning we sat around and played Rummy. Farah won after 6 or so extremely competitive hands. The mosquitos were so unbearable we all retired to our tents. Again, I slept but tossed and turned during the night. I'm not sure I'll ever get used to sleeping on a thin sleeping pad with a blow up pillow and sleeping bag. Another good day in the back country. 

Abort! Abort!

I slept last night! Praise God. I did have to get up around 3 AM to pee, lesson learned, not so much water before bed. It was a bit cool at night but made for great sleeping. We woke up around 7 AM to pack up our gear and make breakfast. We had dehydrated hash-browns, pre-cooked bacon, and Lottinville's farm fresh eggs. It was hardy and delicious. Siting on the dock waiting for everyone to finish packing up I still can not get over how beautiful it is here. Like northern Michigan but even quieter and calmer.

Paddling today was really tough for me. I was sore from yesterday's paddle and switch positions with Maggie which meant j had to learn a new job. We made it to the portage location: Grassy Lake Portage. I was quite nervous about carrying all our gear and the canoe 1/2 mile. We were the last canoe to the portage spot and were prepping our gear when we hear others coming back from the trail. It was really swampy at the entrance and apparently it got worse the further you walked. Our lead instructor Bill ended up in mud to his crotch with a canoe on his head. His wife Sue was yelling back at the rest of us Abort! Abort! We dodged that portage bullet but our reward was paddling back the 4 miles where we came from. Total mileage today was about 12 miles. After we stopped for lunch and I got some coaching from Gib the afternoon paddle was much better. It's important to paddle using your whole torso rather than just your arms! Who knew? We arrived to our beautiful camp site. Large rock formation in the front that is great for lounging, excellent swimming, and  great views from the tent sites. We also had another throne type latrine, this time with better cover. I don't feel clean necessarily but I don't feel filthy either. The afternoon swims are refreshing and I did wash my hair in the lake quickly. 

When we unpacked our gear to set up the tent I realized my trash bag had leaked. I had crushed an egg earlier yesterday and just put it in a ziplock. It leaked. There is egg goo on everything in my bag. I was able to wipe things down with a wet bandana but I'm concerned about the smell for the next couple days. Nothing else to do about it now I guess! 

Dinner was cheese tortellini with spaghetti sauce and parmesan. It was damn good if I do say so myself. We were all cleaned up and packed away by 7:30 PM. 

Paddling 101

Our day began fairly early with our last shower until Sunday night (thank goodness the dumpy motel had excellent water pressure). We loaded up all of our gear and packed the bus. Breakfast was the first stop at a little mom and pop diner. Most had the special of eggs, bacon, and toast. I had my last caffeinated beverage (Pepsi) while others drank copious amounts of coffee. We also had to make a last minute stop at Lucky Seven (gas, tackle, guns, ammo, mini mart) for fishing licenses and bottles of water. We had a bit of a drive up to Crane Lake and hit the water around 11 AM right after Paddling 101 class. We went over the parts of the canoe, basic strokes, and life jacket wear. Maggie is my canoe partner. She sat in the front with the job of being the motor. I sat in the back to do the steering. We started out a bit rough, zig zagging the lake, and mostly uncoordinated but got the hang of it after a while. Canoeing is fun but also takes some skill and physical work. I'm sure my arms and shoulders will be sore in the morning. Durning the last leg Maggie and I started to play games to distract ourselves from fatigue naming a camping or canoeing related item for each letter in the alphabet. 

We stopped for lunch on a giant rock by the shore. The beef jerky, apple sauce, trail mix and carrots definitely filled me up. Our first taste of lake water was next to refill out bottles before heading back on the water. We are using a gravity filtration device that works pretty quickly taking out all the stuff that will make you spend the next 5 days on the toilet. The color is still a bit brown but it tastes like mineral water and quenches the thirst. 

The scenery is amazing. I couldn't possibly explain it but try and picture large rock shoreline, pine trees, a blue sky, and big puffy white clouds everywhere you look. 

We had some wild life sightings today as well. A few deer on our drive up here including a button buck in velvet. A bald eagle (God Bless America). A few loons that also serenaded us this evening. A baby squirrel running around the campsite. A very small fish caught and released by one of the guys. 

Dinner at camp was uneventful. We did learn how to light the camp stoves and clean up after. Maggie and I are also meal partners. We had cheese quesadillas and rice. There was too much food but if you don't eat it then you pack it out so we stuffed ourselves. This may be a common theme this week. 

A camp fire and telling stories passed the time until the mosquitos got to bad and we climbed in our tents for shelter. Good night everybody. Yau Betcha! 

Travel Day

We hit the road early this morning to drive the 522 miles to Virgina, Minnesota. Made a few stops along the way for breakfast, gas, and lunch at Culver's (we were in Wisconsin so cheese curds were a must). To pass the time I logged in to our our bi-weekly company conference call, and listened to the first couple Shark Farmer podcasts. If you haven't heard of the Rob Sharkey, you are seriously missing out. Google him. I got his autograph a few weeks ago! I especially enjoyed 003 were he talks with another friend of mine about roping badgers and other cowboy tales. 

We arrived at the hotel we will stay at tonight before hitting the backwoods in the morning. The instructors distributed all our gear and helped us pack up. Bill helped me eliminate a few unnecessary things including soap... He said I won't be needing that and that even though it's environmentally friendly, I can't use it in the river. Ugh. Salty it is. 

All my personal things as well as the following gear is in this small orange bag. 

Tent, ground cover, rain fly, water purification device, camp stove, gas, food for the next 4 days, sleeping bag, sleeping bag liner, and sleeping pad.

I'm not sure how I was able to get it all in there but it's done. 

Dinner was at the Sawmill where I ate a steak of course (loading up before our backwoods food adventures). We also consumed a couple of adult beverages. There is a great group of fun people on our trip. Looking forward to the next few days. 

Voyageur National Park

This lady farmer is traveling again! I'm keeping it domestic though! For the next 4 days I'm off the grid, camping and canoeing through the boundary waters of northern Minnesota in the Voyageur National Park! 

I've done some pretty cool traveling in the past but nothing like this. We are full-on pack in, pack out, no bathrooms, showers, or beds. I've got to admit, I'm a little nervous. 

I essentially have to pack in a carry on bag (we all know I can manage that for a two week track around the world) but this time I also have to include my bed, tent, camp stove, and food. This shall be interesting! This adventure is brought to you by the College of DuPage, field study's department where I will earn 2 pass/fail physical education credits (because I need those)! Aunt Dede is a professor at the college and we have traveled with COD before to China. Thus, I get postcards in the mail promoting all their field study's programs. When I saw this one, I couldn't think of a good reason not to go. I love adventure and this will certainly be one for me. 

Packing has been a challenge but I've been assured by the instructors they will help us with last minute packing to ensure we have all that we need and leave behind what we don't. The college provides sleeping bags, sleeping mats, tents, camp stoves, and cooking utensils. It was up to us to pack our meals that would be non-perishable and easily packable. I'll dive into that in another post. 

As we pack up the bus this morning it's clear that I need to pair down my bag quite a bit. Most people just have a backpack of personal items and food. Crap. We shall see how this all plays out. 12 hours and we will arrive in Virgina, MN for a quick night in a hotel before we hit the backwoods! I doubt I have service way up there, and certainly won't be able to recharge the phone battery but will continue to blog and post later. Wish me luck. 

Long day and early morning coming...

In lieu of a real blog post, here's what we did today: bus, gate, up hill walk, gun cannon, security, Why are you keeping my passport?, US Embassy, Mountain Dew, Thanks for giving my passport back!, humidity, bus, shopping mall, Which Wich, new dress, lion head tank-top, Vice Minister of Commerce, broken bus, new bus, fresh shirt, Uber, climate change is a real thing, sangria, best Tataki Tuna EVER, thanks Gary & Ann, tied cherry stems, the honorable chicken statue, make-out alley, Uber, black jack, Balboa, minus $20, and finally buenas noches mi amigos! 

Day 1 - Panama

Today was our first day in Panama. We arrived in the wee hours of Sunday morning in time to unpack and try to sleep for a few minutes. I think the time change from Japan to Panama got to us. There are a few differences between the two countries. For example, the Panama hotel is significantly nicer with larger rooms, soft beds, and beautiful views of the bay. On the other hand, the bathroom facilities are not quite to par with Japan. The Japanese just have us beat on that front and there's not much more to say about that. We had some free time Sunday morning to either catch up on sleep from out 30+ hours of travel from Panama or site see or attend church. A nice group of is decided to attend catholic mass at Iglesia del Carmen, a nearby and historical church. We got mildly lost due to no street signs but Mr. Easter flexed his Spanish skills and got us to the right spot. We were even on time. I guess it was God's will! We grabbed a quick lunch after and then boarded the bus to the Panama Canal. We watched a barge with containers pass through the Miradkores Locks and learned about the history of the Panama Canal construction. Our tour guide for the week, Kenny, is well versed on the historical context of the canal as well as the American occupancy and later departure. We had a traditional Panamanian dinner at a cute restaurant in the Casco Viejo area before taking in all that the Panamanian night life had to offer. Here's to a great week in Panama! 

 

 

 

I don't even know what day it is?!?!?

Since I last slept in a bed a lot has happened and I have no idea how many hours ago that was! We got up early and a bit hungover from a goodbye Japan all you can drink dinner the night before. I think that was Friday night and also one of our classmates Birthdays! Happy 29th to Katie! Ok maybe she is "only about 5 more minutes" older than that. A few of us girls went out exploring, sans map, for some last minute souvenir shopping. It was a great success! I managed to bring home a gift for my mother (star themed of course), chop sticks, a Japanese fashion magazine for Jess, and more KitKats! We didn't even get lost. Final packing was done at the hotel and we were off to the farmers market before going to the airport. We had a 9 hour flight from Japan to Denver. I was able to sleep for about 4 hours in a drug induced coma. A few of us decided to ship our goodies home from Denver via USPS to ensure plenty of room for Panama goodies in our luggage. I'm in the market for a Panama Jack Hat! During our layover in the US the most purchased items were: Pizza Hut pizza, fountain pops - mostly Mountain Dew or Diet Coke, and Dramamine. Since I'm such a savvy traveler I was able to wash my face, brush my teeth, apply more deodorant and change my underpants at the airport. It was pretty close to a shower but I'm still rocking the greasy ponytail hair. Our flight from Denver to Panama was about 6 hours, most of which I slept. It was 86° and after midnight when we arrived. Off to the hotel to get some real sleep in a real bed. Total time without a bed approximately 30 hours. Oh. Is that all? No problem. 

If you remember my previous post about the superior Japanese toilets; this is how we were welcomed to Panama... 

 

 

 

Day 6 - Eggs!!!

As a chicken farmer and an Eggs-pert, I was very Egg-xcited about our trip to the Egg washing and grading facility today in Japan! The tour did not disappoint! The Japanese eat eggs raw quite often so they put a large emphasis on quality and freshness. And they eat a lot of eggs: 320 eggs per person per year. In no more than three days, eggs are laid, washed, graded, packaged, and delivered to the consumer. In the US that process can take up to 30 days but we don't eat raw eggs so no worries. The shelf life of an egg that will be cooked can be up to 4 months if properly stored. The shelf life of an egg to be eaten raw is only 14 days and that is how their cartons are date stamped. 

This washing and grading facility gets their eggs from 6 local farms who own the facility as a cooperative. The facility cleans and packages 80,000 eggs per hour or 600,000 eggs per day. The hens lay eggs for this facility for two years. After that they either go for lower quality meat (chicken nuggets) or to another farm where they continue to lay eggs. These hens are less productive and lay larger eggs that are less desirable for consumers.

The whole washing and grading process is fully automated and done by robots. There are a few check point where workers pull out broken eggs but the majority of the quality check is done by machine. During one step, a machine hits the egg shell in kind of a drumming method to check for hairline cracks; eggs that have small cracks sound different when drummed than those that do not. Another check spot candles the eggs to look for abnormal yolk color or small blood spots inside the egg. If one has an abnormality it is automatically rejected. About 10% of the eggs that go through are rejected and used for either liquid eggs or fertilizer depending on the severity of the reject. The eggs are weight and separated by weight for packaging. From the time the eggs are washed to when they are fully packages takes only 3 to 5 minutes. 

Marc Bremer Son blew our hosts' minds with this fun fact: if you feed laying hens white corn they lay eggs with clear yolks. I have now sourced some white corn from Steve Huls Son to creat premium, value added eggs on our farm! I'm about to bust into the Japanese egg market! Think I can keep up with demand with our 8 ladies? 

 

 

 

 

Day 5 - Touristy Things

We started our day at the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries. We heard from one of the men that helped to negotiate the Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal. He had a few incites for us on Japanese Agriculture but most covered what we have heard from others. Their country is an aging population. They have a challenge getting young people to come back to the farm because it is hard work and incomes are not very high. There is a need to consolidate their small farms but have a hard time doing this because of local governments and a lack of infrastructure to help sellers and buyers to come to a deal. Their products are highly subsidized by the Japanese government so they can not compete with global markets. Because of this, they are now focusing on premium products and value added products. 

The most interesting discussion for me was about women in the work place. Gender roles are still quite strict in Japan. Women only do specific "female" jobs. When they begin to have children they quit working. It is more cost effective for them to stay home with their children than to pay for child care. Once their children go to school they do not typically go back to work because they have missed out on many years of working and earning seniority at a company. 

We did some touristy things the rest of the day when we walked around a Buddhist Temple and Pagoda as well as going to the top of Tokyo Tower. We also walked around a supermarket checking out their meats and veggies. Another great day in the books here in Japan!  

 

 

 

 

Day 4 - Farm Tours!

Today was farm tour day! We traveled three hours north of Tokyo to visit a Wagyu beef farm, dairy farm, tomato farm, and strawberry farm. The weather was quite cold hovering around 32°. It even snowed some while we were at the beef and dairy farms. 

The continuing theme we got from all of these farmers was their focus on the consumer's needs. They will always produce what the consumer wants. The second was that they focus on premium products, such as, high quality and high fat Wagyu Beef, that also come with premium prices. They can charge the equivalent of $26 per gallon of milk because the dairy cows that produce it eat only non-gmo feed and apparently consumers want that and will pay for it. We taste tested the tomatoes and strawberries and my goodness, the strawberries were amazing! Strawberry season is from September to March and are grown inside greenhouses. They focus on high quality, perfect taste, and uniformed size and consumers are willing to pay around $12 for six strawberries. In Japan, they live very simply with few material goods which allows them more disposable income that they spend in consumable goods like food. Their mentality is very different from Americans who demand cheap and fast food products and spend more money on stuff. Some photos for your pleasure. 

 

 

 

 

Day Three - Japan

I have not really told you all about what we have been up to here in Japan so for today's blog I'll summarize the last two days of speakers and tours. As you know, this is an agriculture based study tour of Japan. We have heard from US Embassy Attachés discussing a variety of topics including trade with Japan, Japanese economy and agriculture production. Someone from the meat export council and soybean export experts also spoke to us. Our welcome dinner was on a small cruise boat in the Tokyo Bay. We ate a traditional Japanese meal, drank beer, and sang karaoke. The skyline was quite beautiful. We toured a soybean crushing facility that is fully integrated: located on the bay for easy import and unloading. They crush, refine oils, process oil, package, and distribute soybean oil to consumers to be used for cooking. We also toured a tofu plant that is also fully integrated. They engineer, design, and use their own automated equipment. They developed their own packaging and fill it with freshly made tofu all at the same location. We got free samples for an afternoon snack. Not the best thing I've ever eaten, but not too bad either. We rode the bullet train traveling about 180mph and rode the Tokyo subway during evening rush hour. I bought wasabi flavored KitKats and a few other unrecognizable treats at a truck stop. I think the jet leg is now really setting in as the class seemed a bit lethargic all day today. I'm sure that has nothing to do with the beer last night.  Today we are off to see a Waygu Beef and Dairy Farm! Some photos below for your pleasure. 

 

 

 

 

Japanese Toilets

After only 24 hours in Japan one thing is perfectly clear. The toilets are awesome. They come in a variety of sizes and shape and with many... MANY options. Yes you heard me, options and features like if you were customizing a Jeep or picking toppings at a salad bar. Buttons for spraying different parts. A variety of water pressures like mild or powerful - yikes. There are two things that are blowing my mind! One. Heated Seats, yup warm to the touch and extremely comfortable. We went to an outdoor shrine and the weather is nice but a bit on the chilly side, only 50°. Went to the bathroom expecting a cold seat but were pleasantly surprised by a warm, comforting seat! It was awesome. I know in the US you can get heated seats at home but please, let's make it a public amenity! Now, I know, who wants to sit on a public toilet seat? I get it. Don't worry. In Japan they have sanitizer inside the stalls to clean the seats before you sit down. Second. There is a button you can push that will make the toilet flushing noise without actually flushing. So, you know, when Kirk- plunk happens, you can mask the noise with a fake flushing. Embarrassment averted. Thank you Japan!

 

 

 

Hello Tokyo!

We arrived safely in Tokyo at 4ish Sunday afternoon local time. Effectively 1 in the morning home time. We are 15 hours ahead of you all back in the states. The flight was relatively fine for being crammed into a tiny seat for 13 hours. I watched Lost in Translation - a Bill Murray movie set in Japan. It's free on Amazon Prime. I suggest watching it. Great movie and lots of beautiful shots of the city of Tokyo. I was able to sleep about a couple hours on the plane thanks to Melatonin! We were fed a few times - the usual mediocre airplane food. 

Our tour guide for the duration of the Tokyo leg, Kutzumi Niwa, met us at the airport and directed us to the bus. On our way to the hotel we took a tunnel that goes underwater below the Tokyo Bay. It seemed to go forever and I was thankful I was sitting toward the front of the bus. We checked in quickly, brushed our teeth and headed down for a buffet dinner. Lots of interesting choices for dinner. All my favorite things were deep fried like pork loin, shrimp, and little slices of pumpkin. They also had amazing desserts complete with strawberry fondu. I can not eat like that the whole trip but some comfort food was just right after a long day of travel. The girls made a quick walk around the corner to the 7-11 to check things out and get some cash out of the ATM. All went well. Check out some of the neat things at the 7-11 below. Yes that's a hotdog, in a bun, with ketchup, in a sealed package ready to be warmed or I guess eaten at room temperature?!?!  Also sake flavored KitKats?!?! 

 

 

 

The Zika Virus

The second leg of our trip is to the beautiful, warm, tropical, Central American county of Panama. With that comes it's challenges, mostly mosquito bite transmitted diseases and also the combination of high humidity, high temperatures, and black suits... smellllllllly. Many of these diseases have been around for longer than the states have been united. Malaria, Typhoid, Yellow Fever, Dengue Fever, Chikungunya, and of course the one most recently in the news, the ZIKA VIRUS! Our program director, thankfully, had the local health department and a physician in to talk to us about the zika virus, prevention, and concerns. I'm a bit disappointed; I was prepared to tackle this topic with the class complete with flip charts and diagrams but they brought free condoms soo... I guess they win. Thought I would share a few things that we learned about it.

Zika virus is spread mostly through mosquito bites but can also be spread through sexual contact. There is currently no vaccine or treatment for the virus. Most people who contract the virus show no physical signs of it but if you do you may have a fever, joint pain, and red eyes; mostly you feel like crap. The virus typically runs though your system in a week to ten days. If in good health, you will get over it and be just fine.

The big concern is that women who are pregnant or may become  pregnant and contract the zika virus have a higher risk of having a child with birth defects, specifically microcephaly. Microcephaly causes babies to be born with regular body size and face size but small backs of heads and under developed brains. If you are in the Baby Making part of your life pay attention!

• DO NOT travel to infected areas if you are prego. 
• DO NOT get prego for at least two weeks after being in an infected area. 
• DO NOT get your wife, girlfriend, significant other, or random girl prego for at least one month after traveling to an infected area.
• DO NOT get bitten by a mosquito when you get back home... you could bring this virus to the mother land. 

Let me explain. The virus stays in your blood for about two weeks after being infected. You may not know you have been infected as most people are asymptomatic. The virus stays in semen for longer than in blood, but it is unknown how long. The health department suggested first talking to your own physician. There is very little research on this virus and much is unknown. Over the next few months more and more will be discovered.

Upon return, you will only be tested for zika if you present two of the four symptoms plus travel to an infected area. Test results can take a long time to get back, 5 weeks and counting. The health department is really no help in that area.

If you don't have a concern of getting prego or care about giving a virus to your significant other then, by all means, have a pleasant welcome home party in the sack. I'm talking to you Sharkey.

Ugh Chopsticks

We have been encouraged to really dive into the culture while on this trip. This means using chopsticks... not an inherent skill of mine. Confession... I have packed a plastic fork in my purse.

I guess I should have listened to Miss. Markovich in second grade when she tried to correct the way I hold a pencil. It's not like most people... I sort of hold it with my whole hand rather than between three fingers. This creates a challenge when trying to hold chopsticks properly. I can't do it.

I decided I would practice this week by eating most of my meals with chopsticks. Somehow I have managed to muddle though and get most of the food pieces to my face without dropping too much on my shirt. I'm looking forward to eating sushi with my fingers and drinking soup right out of the bowl in Japan.

I think I'll treat this new challenge as a sort of diet plan. While practicing, I have found that I typically get frustrated or bored with eating far before I finish my meal. That's one way to tackle portion control. I'll keep you all updated on how/if my skills improve. It's unlikely.

Yes, you can pack for two weeks in a carry-on bag. Here’s how I did it.

There has been much discussion in my class about my ability to pack for our international trip in just a carry-on bag. Three years ago, I traveled to China with my aunt, uncle, and cousin. A month before the trip Uncle Tom, softly encouraged (required) me to pack in just a carry-on.  I thought he was nuts and started packing immediately, wondering if it was even possible. After some research (there are tons of blogs out there discussing this very topic) I made it happen. It was fine. And now I won’t travel internationally any other way. The last thing I want to worry about while exploring a new place, new culture, and new cuisine is lugging around a gigantic suitcase or two. The minimalism requires you to pack strategically and use pieces of clothing in multiple outfits. Word to the wise though, do not pack too many dry-fit shirts. Uncle Tom learned the hard way that those are actually not very breathable and make you the stinky kid on the bus.

Here goes. I take one approved carry-on suitcase that is hard sided with four spinner wheels as well as one Vera Bradley backpack that slips over the handle of my rolling suitcase. I wear my bulkiest clothes on the plane which will include, jeans, long sleeved black shirt, black blazer, black rain coat, scarf/blanket, and tall black boots. All of which are comfortable and perfect for the 14 hour plane ride to Japan.

The following are inside my backpack that will serve as my personal item:

• Purse including: necessities, passport, mini iPad, & ear buds
•  Complete outfit: shirt, pants, socks, & underpants
•  Make up bag which includes: powder foundation,brushes, eye liner, mascara, eye shadow, contacts, and hair comb
• Quart bag of liquids – shampoo, conditioner,tooth paste, hair product, sun screen, liquid foundation, body wash, hairspray, & Downy Wrinkle Release
•  Empty Trevis water bottle
• Baseball hat for bad hair days
• Neck pillow
• Fuzzy socks
• Snacks including: protein bar, trail mix, fruit snacks, lifesavers, starburst, chocolate
• First aid kit including: Band-Aids and variety of medication for cold & flu & allergies
• Sunglasses
• Hand sanitizer
•  Prescription glasses and prescription sunglasses

My goal with my personal item is that if need be, I could survive out of it for a few days. Often, once you get to the gate the airline will ask you to check your carry-on bag. If it’s out of my sight, it may never come back! I’m prepared for that possibility.

Next is my actual suitcase. I will preface with the fact that we will be gone for a full 14 days. Three of which are travel days. Additionally we have a specific dress code. A few days we have to dress in full suits, other days we can pair a suit jacket with other colored pants or dresses, and the remaining of the days are some combination of dark pants and khakis. Jeans are only to be worn on travel days. Also, our trip will include a few farm visits so we have to pack our own Tyvek suits. I have packed and repacked my suitcase at least FOUR TIMES. We leave in T-3 Days and it’s likely I will repack at least once more.

Inside my roller suitcase I have the following:

• 16 pairs of my least favorite underpants – ready to be trashed (or sold, I hear there is a market for them in Japan) after use
• Black tank top
•  Two white tank tops
• Two T-Shirts
• Sleep shorts
• Sports Bra
• Three Bras – one of which is my least favorite to be trashed after use
•  Bathing suit
• Cover Up
• Tyvek Suit
• One bag of odds and ends including phone charges, power adapter, more drugs/prescriptions, deodorant, etc…
• Two dresses
• One black and white sweater – to be trashed/donated after use
•  Six sleeveless shirts – some polo style some not
• One short sleeved top
•  One button up top (one more in my personal bag)
• One Polo
• One black belt (one more being worn)
• Two pairs of black pants (one more in my personal bag)
• One pair of khaki pants
•  One pair of black leggings
• One dress jackets (one more being worn)
• Two pairs of black flats – one will be trashed after use
• Black sandals – these sandals have been on every international adventure thus far!
• Seven pairs of black socks – some of which I will trash after use
• Three pairs of no-show socks
• Pantyhose – to be trashed after use
• Black tights – to be trashed after use
• Packable duffle bag, in case I come home with more than I leave with
• Three bags of sweet corn seed for farmer gifts

A few more notes… we are not traveling to any desolate places that I won’t be able to do a little bit of shopping if necessary. All of my clothing pieces are mix and match-able with black as the base color. I would bet I could make up at least 20 outfits from the items I’ve packed, so technically I could purge a few things. I’ve made great use of packing cubs and zip lock bags to keep things organized and flat.

This seems like a momentous task but think about it. Lots of these items I’ve packed you have to have if you go for just one night or fourteen nights so pairing down a few clothing items is all that’s necessary to fit into this tiny bag. I challenge all of you to at least give it a try. I promise you won’t be mad you did it. 

JaPanama or Bust

The traveling continues! I have truly missed traveling, seeing new places, and experiencing new cultures. I can not be more excited about this up coming trip. As you know, I'm rounding out the second year of the Illinois Agriculture Leadership Program and that means two weeks of international travel studying agriculture! Our class of thirty will be spending about a week in both Japan and Panama, thus we have dubbed the trip "JaPanama". The itenerary boast embassy visits, cultural exploration, and farm tours complete with Tyvek suits! With all the hype and possibility we are not without our concerns... The Zika virus is alarming and we have been told about the Japanese delicacy: raw horse meat. Here's to hoping we can identify everything we eat and avoid mosquito bites!  Let us all remember, the difference between and ordeal and an adventure is ATTITUDE!

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