"Oh the places you'll go...!" Next stop: Alpamayo, Peru!

You're off to great places,

Today is your day!

Your mountain is waiting, 

So... get on your way..!

-Dr. Seuss, Oh the Places You'll Go

A few final thoughts as the count-down well and truly begins..! I've put my finely tuned project management skills into overdrive and my two bags are already parked at the front door waiting to whisked away on yet another this great adventure..! I have a number of different emotions and thoughts going around in my head - nerves, excitement, standing on the cusp of the known and the unknown... Soon this journey will 'formally' begin... and I can't wait..!! 

Before leaving a few "Thank Yous"…

Thank you to my amazing friends - for your emails, calls and words of wisdom. Thanks for your kindness and for making me laugh during those moments when I needed to most. You guys are the best and I really really can't wait to have a drink with you all on a very sunny patio this summer.  You guys rock. Literally...!!

Thank you to my family - for your patience and for the spirit of adventure that I am certain that I inherited from you.... although there is some argument which side of the family it actually came from..! I know how much you worry about me but, in the same breath, how much you totally stand behind and support everything that I do. 

Thank you to Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) and to my colleagues for your support and encouragement in managing  delicate work-life balance. Thanks also to the fantastic project team still plugging away while I go - will think of you heaps and will send text message reminders for status reports!

A final humungous thank you to everyone who has kindly contributed to Hope for Tomorrow and to Wellbeing of Women, two of the charities which I support through my outdoor pursuits. 

To those who have donated to Hope for Tomorrow today or in the past - thank you so much. Your donations will certainly help to make the lives of those people living with cancer and requiring chemotherapy much more comfortable, allowing them to have their cancer treatment close to home. 

To those who have donated to Wellbeing of Women today or in the past - thank you so much. Your donation will go toward improving the health of women and babies through research, training and education.