The Ill-Prepared Trip  I'm with my friends Nate Nelling, Kevin Simpson, Tiny Combs, and Olie Kecker. We're going to the Big Resort Area. We pack our gear. Nate, Tiny, and Olie seem to over pack: they bring sleeping bags that are seven feet long and plan to carry them. The bags seem to be inflated, in the shape of hot dog buns. They are bulky. I tell Kevin I don't know if my sleeping back is waterproof. My bag is the new blue one I got from my mom for Christmas. I stuff all my gear in a pack. Kevin has a big brown suitcase. We put our snow boots into the suitcase. There may be three pairs of boots. I realize I've forgotten the stove, and we discuss what we should do about that. I ask someone where the food pack is. I wonder if the pack is complete, and if the pots and pans are in it. We sit in an area that seems like the pit room at home, and talk about our options. Olie smokes a pink birthday candle.