possible upcoming trip

A friend has been planning his annual trip out west recently. I've joined him the past two years but it likely won't be happening this year. Given that the PE exam, a.k.a. The Most Important Exam Of My Life So Far, is at the end of October,* come early September I'll already be in full panic mode and trying frantically to catch up on studying and learn all that crap I managed to avoid having to really learn in school. Heck, I'm almost at that point now and it's not even August! So while the trip would certainly be a great one, the timing doesn't work out this year.

But I'm not out of the woods yet on that. Having been unsuccessful in recruiting me thus far, my friend has taken to the cheap tactic of sending me unsolicited info and pictures of his upcoming adventure, certainly knowing that I have very little ability to resist the allure of a good outdoors vacation. And depending on how much studying I can get done in the next month or so, he may just end up getting me to bite. Since he's doing all the planning for only one person anyway, I would almost surely be able to get in on the excitement at the last minute with no impact on trip plans.

There will be trilobyte fossil digging and a long hike in Great Basin National Park, but to me the real draw is a multi-day hike through Escalante National Monument in southern Utah (perhaps the most scenery-packed region in the country). I've seen pictures of this before, and I'm sure it deserves its citation in a recent National Geographic Adventure magazine as one of the best treks in the States. The place combines beautiful landscapes and views with crazy narrow passages through huge rock formations. I'm sure you've seen, at some point in your life, the pictures of people squeezing through slot canyons that are only a couple of feet wide and hundreds of feet deep. Those are often from Escalante.

A big downside is that the cost is, let's say, bordering on prohibitive. This trip would likely be up there in the neighborhood of my estimates for the Peru excursion -- that Escalante outfitter he's working with isn't exactly cheap. Even if I went my adventure budget would likely be blown for the year. That would kill possible opportunities for after the exam, such as kayaking in Jamaica and a cruise in the Caribbean. And given recent events and ideas I'm not sure I even have the money to spare for this one.** Tthat alone may prevent me from going. So I face the prospect of not going on an outdoors vacation, especially one that a friend has already planned out and would be joining me on, due to finances...that would be a sad day indeed and wouldn't exactly do wonders for my struggle to cope with the world as I've seen it.

So, in the near future, I have a decision to make that could end up being painful. In the interest of preventing such a nightmarish outcome, I need to get to studying. But not before once again saying that my study habits and diligence are so unspeakably pathetic I'm even amazed at myself sometimes.

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* I finally got my registration approval in the mail last week. I still need to send in a current 2x2 photo -- I assume I can get this at any place that does passport photos -- and my confirmation of which exam I want to take (apparently I can register to take an exam in a field other than what my degree is in, that's actually a little scary), but I'm officially on their roster now.

** Not that such a lack of finances has stopped me from going on trips too often before. I am able to live within my means in some areas of life, but I certainly wouldn't say travel is one of them. But I don't mind all that much when it comes to seeing and experiencing things I may never have the opportunity to do again. Methinks the regret of not taking advantages of such opportunitites would far outweigh the regret of not saving enough for the future. I mean, dough is dough. May I never get to the point where it constricts me so much it dominates everything I do. Oh, wait, I'm already there...damn. How'd that happen?