Intrepid?

I've had many people express admiration for this venture, and someone called me "intrepid". On the contrary, I'm filled with trepidation. There is so much I don't know, not having done this before: what exactly to pack; how to fit the panniers to the bike; what I can afford not to pack; what the weather will be like in July, August, and September across the Rocky Mountains, Midwest, and New England; how to get all the packing organized and decided when I get home from a training ride after work so tired, hungry, and brain-dead it's all I can do to shower, eat something, and fall into bed; how I'll fit in with a group that includes some folks who already have fast friendships and a history of bike touring together; how it will be to try to stay connected to home with limited access to the electronic grid; etc.

So I proceed in good faith with periodic meltdowns. Six more weeks until we start. Meanwhile I continue swamping out details of my job at work, documenting everything to hand off, and needing to clear off my desk and clear out the drawers of 30 years of my career there in case my desk needs to be used by someone else while I'm gone. At some point I will look forward to this trip as a vacation, but preparing for it is quite a job. I'll accept "intrepid" as a descriptor for my preparation, and we'll see whether it applies to the journey once we're under way.