Planning for Uncertainty

As I talked about on our Read This First page, there's been a monumental amount of planning for this trip.  At this point we're pretty much past the planning stage though and well into the packing phase.  Knowing how detail obsessed I can be, my sister teased me about whether or not I'll be able to handle changes to "the plan" once we're on the road.  She has, after all, listened to my list of worries on several occasions.  It would seem on the outside that such precise planning might not allow for the unknown, but the truth is that once we're on the road we'll follow the conditions and make changes as necessary.

If you've seen the news lately, you already know that changes may be necessary.  The Rim Fire is burning right along the route we plan to take into Yosemite.  Campers have already left the park due to smoky conditions.  Firefighters are making gains in containment, but by all accounts it may be months before the fire is fully contained and controlled.  The fire is so massive that it has created its own weather system.  The video below shows, among other things, the immense shadow cast by the fire across the landscape.



So we plan for uncertainty and open ourselves up the experience, come what may.  We also hold the firefighters and emergency personnel working the Rim Fire in our hearts. In reality, whether or not we make it to Yosemite or camp where we wanted is of little consequence in the face of such devastation.