Off the Grid

This is my final post hereabouts for the next ten days. Early Wednesday morning, I'm heading out for a true adventure off the grid - no Internet, no electricity, no running water, no structures. My son and I are taking part in a "high adventure" Scout trip to an out island in the Florida Keys, about 25 miles east of Key West. We'll be flying down, then taking kayaks across five or so miles of open water to an uninhabited island of about 100 acres off Big Pine Key. It's Robinson Crusoe by way of Survivor with a dash of Gilligan. I'm doing my best to get into the right Stephen Maturin mindset, and to anticipate the varieties of water fowl and briny creatures we'll be seeing. We'll be fishing (for dinner!) and snorkeling and just exploring most of the time, with a bit of cooking and other camp duties on the island of sand and low mangrove. Sure, that'll be something of a physical challenge; and yes, I've been in something approaching light cardiovascular training the last two months in anticipation of the 95-degree heat. But a big part of this is tossing aside the link to the greater network, a connection I really haven't been without on a daily basis since the Internet became a commercial medium - and even before, if I'm honest. I'll bring a book or two and a journal, of course, but my fingers won't twitch in 140-character bursts and my Facebook trail will grow faintly cool. Weather notwithstanding (I already know I'll have to overcome my somewhat irrational fear of lightning), it'll be that lack of instant communications that may scratch at the door of my sanity. Nonetheless, I'm looking forward to it extremely. So look for my smoke signals on this page in about ten days or so ... if the sharks aren't hungry.