One thing I am always amazed with is that feeling of elation I get when I first arrive at my current destination. When you step out the car after long hours of traveling and you look around at the scenery knowing that soon you will be immersed in it; experiencing what it has to offer. There is really nothing to compare to it.
Planning can prepare you for almost all the eventualities of a situation but can not substitute for actually being there. I can envision each days activities, the layout of the camp, and even most of the possible hazards. Planning accordingly, I bring the necessary equipment to meet the goal of the trip. I.E. you wouldn’t pan on doing a climb without bringing a rope. One thing you can never plan for is what I refer to as the ‘People Factor’.
I have found over the years that, it is the people you are with that make or break the trip. I have both made friends and lost them on adventure trips. It comes down to personalities and comfort zones I suppose. I am an obsessive personality and like to stick to my plan and since I typically coordinate all the trips I go on, I expect to meet my goals for the trip. Ninety nine percent of the time these goals are shared by everyone involved and everything goes off without a hitch. Everybody comes home better for the experience and friendship bonds are established or renewed.
There are those few instances that this was not the case and some of the individuals did not fully enjoy themselves. The negative feelings caused tension among the group and thus; what could have been an outstanding experience for everyone turned out to be not so. Fortunately, none of these situations were due to injury, thank God. Rather, personality conflict.
It is due to these few episodes that I am cautious when inviting people on wilderness adventure trips. In my experience, small groups are best. It’s easier to come to consensus on any decision involving the group; from who cooks to who cleans, what trail to explore, where to pitch camp, etc etc.
I have also found that in large groups not everybody is as gung ho as I am to go, do, and see what is out there. This is especially true if some of the members are not that experienced with the outdoors. My wife for example; she doesn’t like to get too far away from the trail head in case of emergencies. Where as, I like to get as far back in the middle of nowhere as humanly possible. My wife gave up on wilderness adventure for the most part, unless there is a warm cabin and a comfortable bed involved.
My best advice is to choose who you go with carefully. A person may be enthusiastic about the idea of wilderness adventure while sitting on a couch in a living room, but then completely miserable when they get out there. I’ve seen it. I’ve had some of my best adventures while being cold, wet, and eaten alive by mosquitoes. I can’t say the same for other people. Let people know what they're in for. A nice hike out to a sandy beach for a picnic is not the same as a week long hike to climb a mountain in the middle of nowhere.
I have also gone on trips where some of the people had no experience or equipment and loved every minute of it. When you look over at a guy who is using a trash bag as a rain poncho and he has a big grin on his face, it makes you feel better knowing he’s having a good time. It’s all in the attitude. Be gung ho, but also surround yourself with people who as gong ho as you are.
Trek on!
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