RV Regroup—On the Vernal Equinox
Bert Gildart: Today, March 20, marks the changing of seasons, an event that will occur in the astrological sense at 6:07 P.M. Today, at that precise moment the sun will cross directly over the Earth’s equator, and in the Northern Hemisphere, the moment will be known as the vernal equinox.
Native American cultures will be marking the event with various celebrations, and a few members of the Bear Tribe in Alabama will be saying good-bye to the season of Waboose, the winter, and welcoming Wabun, which is associated with the Powers of Clarity, Wisdom and Illumination—and spring. The event ushers in the Moon of the Budding Trees.
For me, this will be the Moon of Regrouping—the period during which we continue unpacking and the resorting of items from both our truck and our Airstream. Because we love traveling, the objective is to place our trailer and truck and all its contents in perfect order—and make it ready to go with a minimum of fuss. Psychologically, that works well, knowing that we’re ready to strike out again at a moment’s notice.
AIRSTREAM AND SHED: Preparation, then, for us, begins by safeguarding our Airstream in a shed, which we built several years ago especially for it.
We also place our truck in a garage and from there, we begin unpacking, starting with the back of the truck, which contains bikes, generator, a small clear plastic box and two large bins.
One of the bins contains all of our kayaking gear while the other contains virtually all of our backpacking and hiking gear. Compartmentalizing helps me immensely, and this latter bin contains virtually everything necessary (except sleeping bags, which we keep in our Airstream or in extended cab of our trunk) for backpacking. It is the bin on which I will work today. After that we’ll turn to other things.
Though the day marks a particularly significant celestial event—the time when the sun can be observed directly above the Earth’s equator, it appears clouds and rain will prevent us from getting outside and enjoying this 12-hour-long day. But that’s the Flathead for you in spring. However, come September 23, we’ll have another chance, for then the sun will be returning, marking yet another day when day and night are (almost) of equal duration.
