Tomorrow I leave for Joshua Tree National park. I did the bulk of my packing last night and meant to finish it off tonight. I like to have a second day to review what I gathered, hopefully to prevent a cold and awkward trip without pants.

Before the review I had to gather distractions to pack in my carry-on. When I grabbed the solitaire game my parents got me for Christmas I figured I should make sure it was working. And then I had to play until I won to make sure it wasn't defective. Because I am defective, that took a good chunk of my evening. I didn't really need a review, right? There is always a nagging feeling I am forgetting something, but I am pretty sure I covered the essentials. Hopefully it won't be like my last trip to the Gunks with Pete where I forgot my hiking shoes (I was leaving from work where I had on dress shoes), my pass, and some other less important items.

I am flying out tomorrow to meet Nicole around 6PM in Ontario, CA. From there it is about an hour and a half drive to the park. I've never been, but Nicole went last year. Hopefully it won't be too hard to find a campsite; this is supposed to be the busy season. It is supposed to be a little cold and rainy though, maybe that will deter some of the crowd. The forecast has been improving though, so cross your fingers that we stay dry.

This climbing trip will be different from my norm in that I have no plan. I don't have a guidebook or any climbs I want to do. I'm not even familiar with the layout. It is supposed to have over 7000 documented routes, so I figure we'll find something.

I suppose I should take a quick mental inventory, then get to bed. I seem to have come down with a cold, though I seem to be on the upswing. Hopefully I'll get enough sleep tonight and wake up feeling awesome tomorrow.