Got up at 6am this morning and then did my first trial run trip to my parent's house (which is adjacent to the bird sanctuary/dog park where I'll eventually be creating new tree climbing content) using public transportation, leaving my place at 8am. My new apartment is only a very quick, 12 minute walk to the North Quincy train station on the Red Line. Waited only 6 minutes for a train going outbound from Boston, which gave me an 8 minute ride to the Quincy Center stop. I then waited aroud 15 minutes for the 220 bus that goes to the Hingham Depot, and rode for about 15 minutes before my stop. Then walked for 5 minutes and I was at my parent's house, with the entrance to the bird sanctuary being a stone's throw away.
The entire trip took basically one hour, but it flew by and, despite the oppressive heat and humidity, it was pretty effortless. I can definitely see myself hauling only what I need insofar as hardware, software, my harness, helmet, cameras (GoPro/phone), and a tripod to the bird sanctuary; all in my big backpack and maybe a second bag to carry by hand if necessary. Especially once the weather cools down. Then I'll need to walk/hike with everything into the sanctuary to some of my favorite trees in secluded spots where I won't get bothered or be seen by park rangers or police who periodically patrol along the paved routes.
I will definitely be waiting until the heat wave ends before I even consider heading out. But today I proved to myself that it is definitely possible and that the trip is very doable. While at my parent's house, I saw my dog, Harry, for the first time since Christmas and he we sooooo excited. He stuck by me like he was my shadow as I repacked all of the climbing gear that shipped from Arizona via UPS into smaller boxes that will fit in my smaller closet. Then I loaded them into my father's car, along with some frozen foods, and various other whatnot, and we drove back to my apartment. Then I hauled everything up to my apartment and now I'm putting all of my gear that I brought over in my suitcases into more boxes that will fit into my closets.
All in all, I have had a very productive day.