All big adventures start with some sort of planning. It could be as simple as let’s go while loading horses into the trailer to months of in depth planning of every detail of the upcoming adventure. We have all probably done both. Although the food is normally better on the well planned out trips. The spontaneous trips seem to have a menu normally consisting of beer, chips, and sandwich stuff and that burrito left over from something that was just lying in the truck seat and your water bottle is a half empty bottle of jack just in case.
The well planned out trips have been mapped, studied and analyzed you have made phone calls, and follow up calls, sent emails to everyone who has ever been on that trai,l and have over thought their views and opinions. As the departure date approaches you have NOAA weather on your desktop and your phone. You have flow charts of creek and river depths hanging on your office wall studying all the forging points during those long conference calls throughout the week. The big day comes and you hope all that planning pays off…….But normally life kicks in, the lights don’t work on the trailer, a mule won’t load, it’s pouring down rain! How can the weatherman always be wrong? But you made the trail head. You awake, the suns out, things are looking up. You’re saddled and riding the trail all is grand till you roll a saddle. How can this be the loads were planned the packs were balanced? You are not making the time you had planned, you’re not making camp by dark…………
Here is what it comes down to. I love to plan out a big trip, but be prepared to punt, change directions midstream, don’t let the mood of a mare ruin your getaway, go with it. Enjoy all that happens on the trail this trip will never happen again, make the best of it, learn from it, save all those memories, treasure the trip as much as the planning of the trip. Take pictures, lots of pictures!!! And remember what happens here stays here………..except if it’s your packing partner it may end up on Facebook or YouTube!! Happy trails.
