My buddy called my route planning 'a spreadsheet, not an adventure'

We were planning a 4 day loop in the Sawtooths and I had every mile, campsite, and water source mapped. He said 'dude, you're missing the point, leave some room to just see what's over the next ridge.' I cut my planned daily distance by 3 miles and left one afternoon totally open. Found an amazing lake that wasn't on any map. How do you guys balance planning with just going where it looks good?

3 comments

3 Comments

piper_thompson3118d ago

Man, your buddy had a point. I always plan the big stuff like water and a safe camp spot, but then I pencil in a few hours to just wander. Isn't that how you find the good stuff?

jakem9818d ago

Totally agree. I had a whole route mapped out last fall, but one afternoon I just followed a dry creek bed on a whim. Ended up finding this perfect little hidden waterfall with a deep pool. That unplanned swim was the best part of the whole trip. You never know what you'll stumble into, right?

fisher.reese18d ago

Hah, I'm the worst at this, my plans look like a NASA launch. But @piper_thompson31 is onto something, maybe I should try the pencil method.