..and in fairness, I suppose by the time a long-scheduled adventure occurs, it does look pretty effortless.
But what is not seen by our guests are the countless hours we spend in preparation for any given trip.
This spring, we have a 3-day whitewater canoe camping trip scheduled with a group of local students. It is through a very scenic and culturally rich area in our 4-state region (PA, MD, VA, WV)
We've run this trip countless times through the years, but this year we will be using a new river access point.
To prepare ourselves fully for this trip, so that our guests may have the "full experience," some of the steps we have taken, (beyond food, gear and logistic planning) include:
-Prepare a full geologic profile of the area so that the encountered geologic feature can be explained;
-Prepare a comprehensive document of climate factors, along with native and invasive flora and fauna discussions;
-Prepare a historical guide to the trip covering what is known from prehistoric studies through modern times, addressing land use, human migration, conflict and settlement.. and challenges for the future;
-Complete a preliminary site survey which focused on river access points,shuttle routes, water levels, and "cool" places of interest. (while much of this is available on the internet and in river guidebooks.. our experience has shown us that NOTHING replaces eyes on our objective...
-And we still have to conduct a complete pre-trip site survey from the water... we want no surprises that may compromise safety or the enjoyment of the trip for our guests; and of course,
-lastly, we are preparing alternative, contingency plans, just in the event that at the last moment, the trip we had planned becomes inaccessible or unsafe due to high or low water..
Here we note a key river gauge that will be a critical factor in our late spring trip planning.That's a lot of work for a 3-day trip (about 12 days worth of planning)... but so worth it.. it makes our work effortless!
