Preparing to travel for work is a lot like planning to hike in the early morning. I skipped my morning walk in order to make my flight. But I didn’t miss out on exercise, no. I packed my carryon and personal items carefully so as to have everything necessary at hand. Just like a planned hike, I charted my course the night before, discarding what I didn’t need for this trip and adding items unique to planned activities. No camp stove. No fuel. Yes to the layers. Yes to only one laptop. With not so much as a lipstick duplicated, I traveled without excess baggage.

I strapped on my hiking sandals in preparation for a fast walk between terminals.

My electronics and usual purse contents were stowed in my laptop backpack. Clothes and toiletries in my carefully, linear measured roller bag. No checked baggage for me. I knew I would have to make a run for it in Phoenix to catch the direct connection to Orlando.

But pockets! Where are the pockets? Why does business casual dress code translate to no pockets for a woman? No pockets in my short pencil skirts and no pockets in skinny dress pants and no pockets in collared and scarved suitable tops. If this was truly a hiking trip, there would be pockets. A deep pocket for my cellphone / camera. A pocket for my keys. A zippered pocket for my credit card. A hidden pocket for my ID. What distresses me is, I didn’t notice this lack of pockets until after I parked my car at the airport and felt for somewhere to stow the keys, cell phone and boarding pass. If this really was a hiking trip, there would be bandanas – several bandanas. With bandanas I could be innovative. If this were a real hiking trip I would know that my snack food was in the upper pouch of my backpack and my emergency provisions were deep in the bag. Furthermore, I wouldn’t have to pull out my shampoo and other toiletries and food at every checkpoint. I wouldn’t have to take off my shoes and go barefoot through security.

Still thinking myself a savvy traveler despite the omission of pockets, I strode confidently forward.

At least I am wearing my hiking sandals – the ones I normally slosh right on through shallow washes and creeks in, and they come quickly off at each checkpoint.

In Phoenix all my well-laid plans and preparation were foiled. The airline changed the boarding gate on me, thus nullifying my pre-boarding pass and my pre-screening security pass and entailing another 3 quarters of a mile hike and yet another pass through high security – and yes, for some reason I was also treated to the wand and a pat down, which further delayed. By the time I reached the gate that bird had flown.

I put a lot of miles on my feet that day, but when I arrived in Philadelphia at 9:00 pm – which was plan “C” or “D,” or maybe even “E,” I arrived without baggage. Does that ever happen on an outdoor hiking trip? Oh, you may lay your bag at the side of the trail when you walk off to water a tree, but you pick it back up when you find the trail. Or if you forget, you notice quite soon and trudge back for it (I once hiked an extra mile each way for a camera that slipped out – but that is another story). Some of you will chide that I should never let it leave my hand. But in Phoenix, as I boarded a full plane for Philadelphia where I had never planned to go – with the eighth group – all our roller bags were taken from us – mandatory – and checked on through to our final destination. Sometimes you really can’t take it with you.

But I did have a coat – backpacking has taught me something. Even though I was booked directly to Florida, I had stuff-sacked my down jacket into the last remaining space beside my MacAir. For that, I was thankful at 4:00 am the next morning. The lack of toothbrush, I could circumvent, but what to do with the contacts during a needed sleep? If I had my hiking daypack, I would have my contact lens case. It fits right in there with the extra pair of dry socks and the matches. Once again, preparation for a fourteener differs from airport backpacking. My contact lens case had checked on through to Florida with my shampoo and all my clothes and underwear.

If you must know, I slept in a hotel towel. I rose the next morning and popped my contacts back in, moistened only by water. I arrived back at the airport at 5:00 am – 2:00 am back home. I successfully landed in Florida and arrived at the hotel precisely 24 hours later than planned. My bag, with all the pocketless business casual items arrived an additional 24 hours later. But it did arrive! And I did make it home five days later without a hiccup. I even successfully caught my first Uber to the airport and gate checked my roller bag for the final leg in order to bring home freebies from the gathering to the waiting office staff.

But what do I prefer? I prefer the 11- mile hikes into red sandstone or cool lakes and conifers. I think I’ll keep my feet on the ground for awhile.