Planning a trip… Revised from my old blog

So, you look out the window, and it’s a bright, warm, sunny day! And because you don’t want to waste it, you decide you want to go camping?

Now what?

Grab your tent and sleeping bag…. Jump in your vehicle and go!! It’s just that simple!!

NOT!!!!

Remember what “Murphy’s Law” tells us… “Whatever CAN go wrong, WILL go wrong!!”

Maybe it’s the 20 years in the Army, but no trip I take goes unplanned. And probably OVER planned!! And the reason I over plan, is because one of the first things you learn in what is referred to as “Mission Planning” is the simple question… “What if…”

And that “What If…” question is for are all the things that could bite you in the ass!!! And not being prepared for the “What If…” can have catastrophic, even fatal, consequences. So, because of this, yes, admittedly, I OVER PLAN every trip.

The Plan:

I am no expert in organizing or planning. I just have a lot of experience from my time in the Army, and I know what works for me. But what works for me, may not work for everyone. But I hope what I go through here will help you figure that out for yourself.

The unwritten rule of planning for a camping trip is to realize “Murphy” is always out there. And you need to be prepared to deal with ANYTHING he throws at you! And the best way to do that, is to plan for as many “what if’s” as possible. This past weekend is a prime example. It’s June, and parts of Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons had several inches of snow. If you didn’t plan for bad weather, you could have had a MISERABLE time out there!


Here are the steps I follow when making my plans:

• Choose Where & When
  
• Figure out how long
  
• Equipment Checks
• Figure out what equipment do I have
• Evaluate what new equipment you need, or what needs to be replaced
  
• Plan out what route will I take* (this isn’t a “Set in Stone” plan.)
  
• Ask yourself the “what if” questions, and figure out the answers

So, with all of that out of the way… Let’s get started… 

Where & When

The first thing you need to do is decide WHERE you want to go. And for me, this is usually the hardest part. Because I get these “grand ideas” of where I WANT to go, then as the planning proceeds, reality sets in, and I end up choosing more realistic places to go.

Other things to look at when you are choosing your destination are how far away it is, how long you want to be out there, and what support services are in the area? What equipment you have, or what your planning on getting for this trip.

And believe it or not… Your self-confidence. Especially if you are solo hiking in the back country, or through hiking a trail somewhere. What I have been doing is figuring out what my limit is, then push myself a bit further… (The only way you can grow, is to live outside your comfort zone!) Fear of the unknown is a great learning tool. Never be afraid to take that first step. If I wasn’t trying to break free of my demons and PTSD, I would never have found the spark that got me into camping and hiking. My only regret is waiting until I was almost 50 to do it full-force!

But because of this conflict between my perceived capabilities, and my real capabilities, I have once again turned to rely on the experience and the opinions of others for help. And this is where I use the Interweb and all the information that is out there at your fingertips.

My “go to” for getting information and making choices is REI’s “Hiking Project”. All the information is available via web interface, or on your mobile device. But for planning purposes, I use the PC website, simply for ease of navigating the site. https://www.hikingproject.com/

I am also finding that the “All Trails” app and website are just as good to use for planning these trips. But haven’t yet used the “All Trails” to make a camping plan yet. https://www.alltrails.com/

The reason I like both these sites/apps, is because they are made up of USER input. People like you and me… (More like you than me probably… you know… NORMAL people…) And because once a route, or location is added, and people begin to visit them, you get more and more user feedback, to tell you what to expect. And to give you a more accurate accounting as well. What someone may say is a “Difficult Hike” another person may say it’s only “Moderate” with explanations why. So, it allows you to read reviews and make decisions on your own. And this is where the “reality check” comes in for me; because if some 25 yr. old hiker with good knees, back and shoulders, rates a route as difficult, my old and broken down ass probably should stay away from that particular route, regardless of how awesome it looks. (At least as a solo route!!)

Because I have gotten into solo hiking, and back country camping, I have tended to start out with ‘long weekend’ trips, to the Black Hills of South Dakota, simply because they are within comfortable driving distance from home. And because, while rugged and “remote”, it’s a small enough area, and you’re still relatively close to ‘civilization’, should things go bad… (See: “Murphy’s Law”)

Using the “Hiking Project” web site, you can search by state, and see all the trails in the data base, see the user reviews, and difficulty rating. (Again… Using others experience to gauge the feasibility of doing a particular route or destination.) 

I want to throw in a disclaimer here...  I am a "Fair Weather" hiker, in that I typically do NOT hike in the snow/cold weather. So my ability to write about those topics is non-existent. But there are hundreds of articles and blog posts by others who DO winter hike that absolutely love it, and can teach you the things I do not know.

How Long:

With that out of the way, I can start to actually plan my trips. I typically plan 3-day, 2-night trips. For me, that’s the minimum I need to clear my head. (And right now, it’s the longest I feel comfortable doing solo at this point.)

When deciding how long, you need to keep in mind you will be out in the back country, and there isn’t a corner market at the next trail junction, so everything you will need for the duration, will need to be carried with you, or obtained out there! (Water is about the only thing you can readily replenish, but even that you need to prepare for.) The down side of this is, the longer you are out there, the more you will have to take with you. Which equates to more weight. The upside of this same problem is, the longer you stay out there, the more you consume, and the more you consume, the lighter your pack gets. Unfortunately, the longer you are out there, the more fatigued you become, and that lighter pack, feels just as heavy as a full one. (Life isn’t fair in the back country…)

Equipment Checks:

So based on the steps so far, you now know where you will be going, and how long you will be there, and from there, you can develop your packing lists for things to take with you.

Actual packing lists, and 'how-to's' will be included in another blog post. This is just the planning part of the process. (At least the process I use.)

What do I already have:

You should be pretty familiar with everything you already have in your personal inventory. Tents, and sleeping bags, cook sets and and backpacks are littering your spare room, and your wife is bugging you constantly to clean it up...  (Or is that just me?)

Anyways, since you know the when and where, you can begin to pack the items you will need. For a multi day trip, you will need the essentials for survival, Food, Water, Shelter, and Safety. everything else on your packing list will be built around those four categories. If it doesn't, you don't need it really. 

Where and when will also have a big influence on what you need to take. Spring and Fall trips tend to mean the possibility of extreme weather changes.  Snow and rain are possible during these trips, so packing cold weather gear is essential. Summer brings bugs, and rain, so packing rain gear and insect repellent are advisable during the summer months. While hiking at higher elevations will bring back the need for cold weather gear, as the nights in the mountains can be much cooler than in the lower elevations. 

Wildlife Precautions: 

I would be remiss if I did not bring up bears!!!  Hiking in some areas of the Rocky Mountains I know requires the use of approved "bear canisters" for all foodstuffs and consumables. Hiking in 'bear country' also comes with the added necessity of carrying 'bear spray' for encounters with bears that are too close in proximity to safely extract yourself from. Always be sure to research the areas you are hiking in for threats from bears etc. and make sure you follow all guidelines established by the local authorities.  It could save your life in the end. (A possibly some hefty fines if you don't follow the rules.)

Technology and Hiking:

Packing along technology for your hike is a double edged sword.  Having a 'smart phone' along can serve many roles for you, GPS, Camera, and emergency communications.
But it can also be a link to the world you are getting away from with texts and phone calls (if there is service of course) that can keep you from seeing the world around you. It also adds to your packing list in that you will need to either bring a solar charger to recharge your phone (because it will die,) or battery packs for recharging your device.
I personally use rechargeable battery packs, that can charge my phone twice per pack. This allows me to charge my phone, and my watch (Garmin fitness watch) and keep the tools I need ready at all times. (GPS and camera mostly).

But, because batteries die, I also ALWAYS carry a map and compass with me. I make sure I know my route on the map, and practice terrain association and orientation along the way so I can keep myself from going down a wrong path, and ending up lost. 

What do I need for this trip (New/Replace):

Because you're aware of what you have, and it's condition, you know whats in good shape, and what should be replaced due to wear and tear, or just age in general. 

But as always, before you go out, you should check everything you have for serviceability before you leave. Nothing sucks worse than being 10 miles into 'no-where' on the first night to discover your +20 year old cook stove won't work, and you're forced to eat cold meals... Or that your sleeping pad has been punctured and won't hold air, so now you're basically sleeping on the hard cold ground.

Check everything. Fix what can be fixed, and replace what needs to be replaced. 

Recently, I have switched to 'ultra light' camping because of the strain on my shoulders, and have moved away from my tent set up, to a hammock system. My first trip with this system showed me that my conventional sleeping pad was 'ok' but not ideal, and I have now gotten a new sleeping pad designed for hammock use. So this was an item that even doing pre-checks would have shown me as good, but use in the wilderness showed me that it needed to be replaced. So your inventory of equipment will constantly be in flux throughout this whole adventure. 

Develop your plan:

BEGINNERS (A side note):

For anyone who is a beginner/novice, I don't recommend staying out more than one night in the back country your first trip. What you should do is take a weekend and go stay in a State Park campground. Have everything you "THINK" you need in your backpack loaded up, along with things you think you "MIGHT" need in your car. Then spend the weekend "Car Camping" as a practice run, but try to set up your camp, and spend the weekend living out of your backpack (not your car) to see what you need and don't need for a one or two day trip.  This allows you to add things you need, and get rid of things you don't need, as well as make a list of things you hadn't thought of before but found out you needed after all.

Plan Development:

Once I know the area I want to go, and how long I want to be out there, I start the prep work for my trips. I read reviews of other hikers who have been on trails or routes and read their suggestions. (Nothing beats the advice of someone who's already been there, and can tell you what to expect.) I figure out where I want to go, and what I want to see and do while I am there. Which for me is mostly just relax, day-hike from a base camp, or site see along a "loop route" hike, and take pictures and unwind and recharge myself. 

When I decided to get into solo camping seriously, I was all over the interweb looking up all the information I could about “solo hiking”, “Back country Camping”, and “ultra-light” camping. And one of the most common themes is this… “MAKE A PLAN, AND SHARE IT!” This is especially true for solo camping and through hikers. But we will come back to this shortly. The keep point is “make a plan”, and here is where my next “Army – OCD” trait comes to play… I actually write it all out on “paper”.

There are several reasons you should do this. The biggest, and I saw this mentioned is numerous web articles, and that is to leave a copy of your plan with family, or a close friend. As well as leaving a copy in an envelope in your vehicle. This is so that if you are reported missing, the First Responder's, Park Rangers, or rescue teams will typically search your vehicle (Assuming you park it at a known trail head), and by providing them a copy of your plan, they can narrow down their search area, and if need be, find you quicker! (I hate to say this, but a majority of what you will have to “what if” are not happy things to think about.)

I have even created my own “Hiking Plan” document in MS Excel, that allows me to plot out my trip, share my contact info, and provide helpful information to anyone who finds/reads the plan. (I know… OCD) It allows me to give a general description of my hike, the routes I will take, the trails I will be on, and where I will be camped. It also, because you put in the trail segment lengths, add up distances for how far you will travel that day. And the total for the trip. I also like using the computer to print out my plans, because my hand writing sucks, and this way it’s easily readable.

[Background (Why I over plan, and you should too):

When I first started doing Mission Planning, I was on my 2nd tour in Korea. And one of the jobs we did was remote SIGINT collection operations. The “Unclassified” version of what we did is: We (Groups of 6~ 8 people, US and Korean Military,) would be flown by helicopter to remote mountains along the DMZ and search for certain types of North Korean communications signals. The “Collection Season” typically ran from late March, through November. And of course, the Korean “rainy season” runs from April ~ late July. And it was because of the weather and the terrain, that you had to plan for any event.


The typical OPORD (Operations Order) we were given called for a collection mission to be conducted for “X” number of days/nights from a predetermined location. (I can’t go into details on how those were picked though.) With the typical mission running 3-4 days. So, you’d think it would be pretty simple to coordinate these operations. But if you’ve ever been to Korea in the summer time, you know NOTHING in the mountains is simple.


Because of the remote locations, 99% of which were located on rugged mountain tops, the weather played an enormous factor in these missions. Because, even though you were only ‘scheduled’ to be out for 3-4 days, the reality would often be very different.


Because the helicopters who supported us were from a base on the west side of Korea, south of Seoul, and the sites we were going to were ALWAYS north and/or west, the mountains that run along the spine of the peninsula were often a challenged to mission planning. We could be sitting in sunshine on a mountain waiting to be picked up at the end of a mission, only to have it cancelled because the mountains between us were cloud covered, and all the passes were blocked for flying. “Murphy’s Law” always applied to our missions… Because something would always go wrong, and we’d need to be prepared for dealing with it.


So, when scheduled for 3-4 days, you’d have to realistically plan/expect to be out there for 5 or 6 days; And you had to be packed and ready to stay 7-10 days. (SERIOUSLY!) (The worst mission we had was planned for 6 days. But after being stuck on a mountain for almost 14, when we ran out of water, we were forced to secure our gear on site, and hike down to be picked up by vehicle. Flying out several days later to retrieve the equipment we had to leave behind.


And while these were extreme missions, under unique situations, and in a very specific environment, the fundamental ideas need to be applied to back country camping, and remote hiking. As the motto for the group formerly known as ‘Boy Scouts’ says: “Always Prepared”]