This is where your feet first start itching and you start thinking to yourself its time you went off and did something and soon enough an idea captures your imagination and you actually start REALLY thinking about going off on an adventure...
Stage 2: Planning (2-4 months out)
You've decided you're going to make it happen and so you start researching and reading up on all those who've been before you and looking for advice on what to expect, when to go, what to take and not take etc.
Stage 3: Procrastinating (1-2 months out)
As excited as you are to go, there's a lot of other things you have to get done before you can actually leave that have nothing to do with your trip. But hey! You're on nobody's time limit but your own, so slow down a bit and take your time to get things organised...but just make sure it does ALL get organised!
Stage 4: Spending (3 weeks out)
Ok, you've planned and got everything else in life lined up like little dominoes ready to fall down and be done with by the time you're due to leave. You upgrade old gear, buy missing items, and above all book and commit to the transport that is actually going to take you away from all that you know and dump you at the start of your adventure. From this point on you are committed (eek).
Stage 5: Excitement (1 week out)
It's all on. Flights are booked, passes are bought, old gear is repaired, new gear is being looked over and tested. There's still a few minor things to sort out, like your pack being WAY too heavy...but you don't really care because man you are so excited you are literally bouncing.
Stage 6: Anxiety (3 days out)
Wow all that excitement was just exhausting and now you've calmed down enough to realise that actually your pack being too heavy is potentially a big problem. You talk to friends about this and they all can't help but wear that 'rather you than me' face. Also your hut pass isn't going to arrive in time but that's okay because they can send it to the first hostel on the route and you can pick it up from there. Oh right, and that job for next year you were going to have to apply for en route has just opened for applications now so if you pull finger in the next 48 hrs you could get all that done and dusted before you go and save some hassle on the trip...so you spend the morning you'd scheduled to fix your pack weight problem filling out forms, crossing T's and dotting I's (hopefully not vice versa), and at last that's taken care of and there's a nice sigh of relief in that because maybe you'll get back from this walk and find you have a job interview...
But more than anything it suddenly hits you that you are not going to see your friends and family again for 10 weeks, and though it doesn't sound like much and you've done it before, it suddenly feels like an absolute AGE and you find yourself sitting there a bit listless and emotional because damn you're actually going to miss them a whole lot, and even though you talk to yourself far to much anyway its being around these other people that don't mind that sort of thing that really enriches your life and here you are just walking out and leaving them all behind...but wow didn't they give you a lovely send off PLUS an early birthday cake since you're going to miss out later, and you feel so loved and get massive hugs goodbye at the end of the night...and you drive home with that slight pressure behind your eyeballs knowing that you're really going to miss those hugs...
Stage 7: Departure (0 days out)
(experience pending...but in the meantime you brace for serious nerves and excitement! Bring on the plane!...well, just as soon as I get this pack weight issue sorted...).
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