Finally Traveling, Almost

I made travel arrangements to go to Anchorage on the 27th to work in the Western Alaska Range. Tomorrow the movers come for my relocation to New Zealand, and I vacate my storage unit. The final piece of the puzzle is my visa. Regardless of the visa, I begin the end of my year of moving in a week, and this blog may start to include updates about my life, and travel.

This field season should be fantastic. In talking to people about the project, the work is interesting, the project is relatively young, and the terrain is phenomenal. Obviously, there is always a concern about the people one will be spending 8 weeks in a tiny camp with. My concern about this project specifically is the safety. Not that this will be unsafe, but last year a geologist was attacked by a bear, and now they are arming the staff. Nothing strikes me as more unsafe than armed humans who are afraid of something. Working in pairs prevents most bear attacks, carrying firearms prevents almost none. Bees, as with any time spent in the woods, are my biggest concern when it comes to animals. Even with all of those concerns, I am very hopeful that this will be a great summer and a great experience in a beautiful location.

Having the movers coming for my possessions is thrilling. My life has been pretty stagnant waiting for these pieces to come into place, and they finally are! I cannot help but daydream about life in New Zealand, and the new people and places that will come into my life. Those events will be updated here, hopefully, making this blog a fun mix of travel, personal experience, and the ever present brian rant.