Paper or plastic? Packing choices!

How do you possibly pack for a 17-day journey? Let alone for a 6-day trek up a mountain. Let's just say it doesn't happen without a little anxiety, at least that's how it went down for me. I'm going with the EPA motto of "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle." Even still, I struggle with just how much stuff is needed for a climb to the heights of Africa.

This duffel and my backpack are the only two pieces accompanying me on the journey to the summit. Most of the space is consumed by my rather plush sleeping pad and my sleeping bag. Proper rest is so important when physical exertion is the order of the day, right?
There are so many lessons to life here... How often do I become overloaded with baggage as I wonder through life? Or allow the worries of the day to rob sleep and not give it proper importance in my day? Yeah, I'm sure the lessons are going to abound on this trip. There is one lesson I'm holding tightly these days "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭13-14‬ NIV) This trip is about way more than reaching the Kilimanjaro summit!
Thanks for following my wildly awesome and forever humbling journey to Africa! More to come...