This Saturday will make it official: our Project M Alaska journey officially begins. Woah.

Hard to believe that this crazy plan is actually happening. Back in February when I first concocted the idea, I could totally see it unfolding in my mind. That’s what gave me the guts to convince Jim that we should do it. But it’s only been only until these last few weeks that really felt in my gut that this thing was truly going to take place.

With 48 hours left until we roll away from Colorado for the next year or so, that old saying “Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it” is rolling around in my head.

Aside from what we can fit in the Project M, we crammed get some essential winter gear into two 18x18x18 shipping boxes. The cost to ship them north? $453. Ouch. But that’s not all that’s going up. Those crazy musher friends of ours from Denver (who inspired this “winter in Alaska” idea) generously offered to haul our hard-sided 2.25×2.25×12 case in their cargo trailer, when they drive up in October. So that’s three small-ish containers of essential stuff. Anything that we can’t take in the Project M we will have to buy once we get there. Good thing Willow has a pretty good thrift shop from what I hear.

We will be driving up through Montana and then stopping for a night to see some Fountain of Youth friends. After that, we are moving north as fast as we can to get to Willow. Figuring there will be plenty of time to meander through the Yukon next summer, we want to explore the Mat-Su Valley before Alaska plunges into darkness for the next few months. Our projected ETA is somewhere around 8/15.

Along the way, we’re hoping to catch a break with some decent internet on the Alaska Highway and there to try to get some work done. If that doesn’t happen, so be it. We will take things as they come. The Alaska Highway is a long, humbling reminder that the situation is always the boss.

See you down the road.