Expedition Trip Planning-my thoughts and yours, please

[gyork]

Though I don’t consider myself a trip-planning expert, I have taken several multi-day kayak-camping trips, many of them solo. The following planning items are by no means recommended as guidelines, but merely a log of my activity so far, in no particular order, leading up to a six-day trek to the Maine Coast. Much of that safari is taking place between my ears, in the months leading up to the voyage.

Starting in JANUARY:

-Spend too many hours poring over my E-library of nautical charts, my favorite sources being:

NOAA booklet charts [http://ocsdata.ncd.noaa.gov/BookletChart/AtlanticCoastBookletCharts.htm]

MITA (from which I can collect GPS waypoints that this program conveniently provides, and as a (almost) seamless compilation of multiple NOAA charts, from which I can save and print customized booklet charts on my IMac [command/shift/4].

-Print color charts, annotate and magneticNorthetize with spaces between lines of either 1 or 2M, depending on scale, then laminate eight 8X10” chartlets (4 laminates) at KinkoFedEx for 1.99 each.

-Assemble list of geocaches in area to paddle.

-Determine a reasonable launch site(s) where extended overnight parking might be accommodated and contact those parties (MITA, marinas, seaside lodges, harbor masters, local police dept or Town office) directly, opting for beach or ramp (vs. mudflats, wharf) launch if possible. Negotiate a mutually agreeable fee (our host has offered parking and launching privileges in exchange for help with chores-what a deal).

IF OTHER THAN A SOLO TRIP:

-Start inviting potential adventurers for the blocked-out (vacation days) multi-day trip, with a consideration of the optimal and maximum number and skill level of participants.

-Seek volunteers for roles of Meteorologist, Navigator, Safety Officer, Activities Director, etc., as this is a CAM trip.

-Suggest to participants to prepare as if this were a solo trip, and at launch site, whittle down (but not too much) redundant gear that might be considered communal: cookware, repair, first aid, flare gun, tents/tarps, saw, etc.

-Share preliminary agenda and links to local knowledge with participants.

-Obtain contact info (cell, E, emergency contact) from participants, compile spreadsheet with same, and leave as part of float plan with sig. others, launch host, marine patrol, local police, other.

-Encourage participants to “reply all” to E threads, as indicated, to facilitate good group communication.

-Continue reviewing charts and plan possible routes for each day, considering tides, geocaches, breaks with short hikes, MITA islands, town/state land with trails (and facilities [www.town.org]), potable water supplies, groceries, restaurants (this is NOT a wilderness trip), alternative camping (sanctioned and stealth), and bail-out locations.

-Contact Maine Forest Service for _____ permits on eligible islands, a few days before launch. Record permit # on kayak deck with permanent marker.

-Obtain tidal data for days/location of trip; record daylight tides on kayak deck with permanent marker.

-Because distance from home to launch site is not short, secure overnite lodging in the vicinity, for an early launch on the anticipated long Day 1.

-Consider possibility of ferry service, or other boating/shipping activity in area of paddling, and if YES, obtain a copy of schedule(s).

-Contact Harbor Master, if applicable, for “local knowledge” about currents, areas of questionable passage from charts (?mudflats under bridge?), and general “rules of the road” for area visited. Another good source for this data is “A cruising Guide to the Maine Coast (Tafts and Rindlaub)” or “The Maine Coast Guide for small boats-Casco Bay (Rindlaub)”; may be possible to obtain via inter-library loan at local library.

-Build http://www.soazpaddlers.org/phpBB-3.0.5/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=42 or buy http://www.lowes.com/pd_367048-1703-KH550_0__?productId=3474867 a LNT torpedo tube. Chose the latter-thanks Les.

-Pre-program and label important waypoints (islands, aids to navigation, launch/landing sites, etc) into your GPS (fresh and extra batteries) and on charts, as applicable. Focus points on middle of islands; helpful coming or going, and you’ll be sure to “hit” your target.

-What else?

gary

[spider]

Great list, nice topic.

I also do many of those things.

I like to bring laminated pages from the Maine Gazette Atlas. when possible I like to scout the areas from land before hand, learn the area...hiked the Bold Coast for example, (though later did not paddle that section).

During the trip talked with the fishermen and the clammers, they know all sorts of stuff, including where you might be more welcome than perhaps other places etc.

GPS I mark them differently I try to make them more exactly to the shore line,but that's minor you can always do both.

Well thought out you put some work into it

[rfolster]

Gary,

While you may not consider yourself an expert trip planner, you are very good at it. This is evident with the famous Jewell Island trip every year, and now the 2nd Annual Muscle Ridge trip which looks to turn into a regular event.

I have actually planned my first solo trip, which I plan to do this summer (just a 3-day trip), and based on the results of that trip, may plan a week-long trip for later this year or next. With those thoughts in mind, I have some questions for you and others:

1) How do you decide whether or not you will paddle a trip solo or invite others?

2) Do you have any process for determining how many you will invite on a trip?

3) What restrictions, if any, do you have on your solo trips (such as no open ocean, current restrictions, or weather limitations)?

4) Have you, or will you, ever seek a "wilderness" expedition?

[kate]

My goodness, it looks like such a daunting list, but as I read through it I realized that I do most of that stuff too, just not in a particularly organized way. You mark the tides on the deck of your boat? Interesting! I usually tuck a tide table into the chart case in one corner, but I find that after a day or two I am tuned in to what the tides are doing and don't really need to consult it.

Rob asks some good questions. My responses:

1) How do you decide whether or not you will paddle a trip solo or invite others?

How risky is venue? Do I want someone to cover my back?

These are the wrong reasons to paddle with others! If it's that risky, that I feel I may need rescue, I should probably pick another venue.

I decide simply based on whether or not I want company.

2) Do you have any process for determining how many you will invite on a trip?

It decides itself - there are only a few people who will go with me.

One important factor: how many tents will campsites hold? The more tents, the harder to find a place to camp.

3) What restrictions, if any, do you have on your solo trips (such as no open ocean, current restrictions, or weather limitations)?

I don't restrict it in this way. Instead, I try to plan such that there are always alternatives in case of rough conditions. Because I often go to places where I have not been before, I can't know what I'll find (charts can lead me to make educated guesses, of course). So I choose locations where I can easily switch to plan B - inside passage instead of outside, exploring a bay instead of a bold coast, traveling where there are many islands to break up the strength of waves, etc. If there's no place to switch, I decide ahead of time that I'll wait out bad weather or simply turn back.

4) Have you, or will you, ever seek a "wilderness" expedition?

I guess it's in the eye of the beholder. They all seem like wilderness once I'm out of sight of human presence. The most wilderness I've done was with Mark in Newfoundland.

[gyork]

Great list, nice topic.

I also do many of those things.

I like to bring laminated pages from the Maine Gazette Atlas.

Yes-me too. Shoreline is nicely detailed by Delorme. Makes for a nice overview "chart" for the paddling area. Though not so accurate, I will transfer approx locations of cans/nuns/etc. from a NOAA nautical chart.

[EEL]

Couple of questions for Gary and Kate and anyone else who goes on journeys. How often do you find yourself making the trip up as you go after a few days as time, weather, and inclination change? Do you find you often struggle between the urge to go far and fast and the desire to explore , see, and experience?

[gyork]

Gary,

1) How do you decide whether or not you will paddle a trip solo or invite others?

2) Do you have any process for determining how many you will invite on a trip?

3) What restrictions, if any, do you have on your solo trips (such as no open ocean, current restrictions, or weather limitations)?

4) Have you, or will you, ever seek a "wilderness" expedition?

1) An invitation for others to join in requires a heads-up of a few months, and many are not able to commit a vacation week due to family/work/etc commitments, esp. during the summer months. I keep a bucket list of areas I want to paddle, some of which I expect never to return to (there is only so much time, and so MANY areas to explore!), and determine, by chart-gazing/reading if I can be comfortable solo. Examples of areas I would NOT attempt a solo trip include Great Waas and beyond (Bold Coast). Some paddlers express a desire to do more extended trips, and I am happy to have them along. Other trips include >25 miles/day ave., and I would be careful choosing partners, or I would just relish the solitude. Bottom line-I like either venue, and guess that I split them 50:50.

2) Agree with Kate-related to capacity/number of campsites and parking issues.

3) Restrictions become self-evident as you face them, and an extra level of caution is extended, usually from your gut. Wind/waves/weather seems more ominous when you are solo. Conditions that you wouldn't blink at in a group paddle tend to heighten the senses. I always add one or 2 extra days for the trip to allow for forced down time re: "conditions", and would be OK traveling at night in a quiet sea-state, if I need to make up for lost time. I pay close attention to MITA "danger" areas and Coast Pilot warnings to strangers. Don't like the >2 mile crossings between solid land and avoid them when I can (e.g. would opt for northerly approach to Fox Islands via island hopping v. slog from Rockland, even though extra driving required).

4) Moosehead and beyond. Great Wass (on list) seems like somewhat of a wilderness to me, at least by my definition.

[gyork]

Couple of questions for Gary and Kate and anyone else who goes on journeys. How often do you find yourself making the trip up as you go after a few days as time, weather, and inclination change? Do you find you often struggle between the urge to go far and fast and the desire to explore , see, and experience?

I try to stick to my orinal agenda, which has played out many times in my head, hunched over charts and google Earth, but ALWAYS think of scenarios that allow contingency plans to be adopted. Not always possible on a "loop" paddle such as Moosehead trek. As days wear on, and you realize you may have bitten off more than you can chew, you may decide to stay "local" (e.g. day 4 agenda was a >25 mi up-and-back of the Damiriscotta R. from R__ Island, which was substituted for a <10 mi quiet, smooth ride to Reid for a day at the beach-all good).

For me it's all about the exploration of new areas, and it usually evens out after days on the water-far/fast with limited views and local/slow with intimate immersion.

g

[rfolster]

Other trips include >25 miles/day ave., and I would be careful choosing partners

Some of us have been impressed with the milage you put on when you paddle solo!

My solo trip coming up this summer has two goals:

#1) Do I like paddling and camping alone?

#2) What pace will I fall into without anyone else holding me back or pulling me forward?

Still working out the details, but I am looking to push 20+ miles each day based on 7-8 hours of paddling at 3 knots. Should be interesting to find out. I think that this is a very important aspect of paddling that each person should know. Whether making a long crossing without any markers to gauge speed, or a fog (or night) crossing with cross currents, you need to know what speed you will be paddling in order to calculate your heading and time your crossing properly.

Couple of questions for Gary and Kate and anyone else who goes on journeys. How often do you find yourself making the trip up as you go after a few days as time, weather, and inclination change? Do you find you often struggle between the urge to go far and fast and the desire to explore , see, and experience?

Even though I have not been much of a trip planner (yet!), I definitely see my self as a make-it-up-as-I-go kind of guy (maybe that will be goal #3 of my solo trip?). Even as I start thinking about future expeditions (Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and my goofy 100 islands in 100 days), I tend to think about milage per day rather than exploration. It has been suggested to me that I should modify my 100-in-100 trip to instead land and exit my kayak on all 200+ MITA islands in one stretch. Maybe the key is diversity: one trip for milage, another trip for sight seeing, a third trip with a mix?

[...]

Gary,

I would guess you, Spider and Kate must be the top three NSPN paddlers with the most 3+ day solo kayak camping trips. I would also guess that your organized approach to trip planning must have evolved over several years.

I will add that I learned from Kate's trip report on The Bay of Fundy that one could easily make a mistake while keying a waypoint directly into their GPS. So, I use a PC based software product to locate all my waypoints and upload them into my GPS. The process eliminates any potential keying errors.

I can only count one solo trip for myself, but it was a critical catalyst for my interest in trip planning. Of all my trips, that one brings a smile to my face as I remember two special moments. I had not studied my nautical chart well enough to realize the passage between Upper and Lower Goose in Casco Bay is tide dependent so I had to carry my kayak across approximately 50 feet. I remember doing it as fast as possible so no one would see me. The next moment happened around 11:30PM when a racoon woke me up from a sound sleep and scared the s**t out of me. From those experinces I learned the need to really study my nautical charts and to pack ear plugs for all future trips.

Warren

[spider]

I'm pretty much a lite weight, esp on the distance per day traveled..

I'm more of a how many hrs a day paddled and still have energy to make camp etc. Usually paddling 6 hrs in a day that's fine for me, give or take this that and the other thing.

Though I often paddle alone, when I paddle with another person I can find it calming at times to have a visual reference on how the boats are handling esp in chop or current.

I try to be, my best by the time I paddle with others during the season, or at least get the kinks out, know how much paddling I can handle and things like that, Paddling with others I do make a conscious effort to stay together.

One thing I do like about the solo trips...I become both the strongest and also the weakest link in the journey...after a few days it could get a bit humorous if someone were to hear the two versions having conversation/disagreement...okay maybe they just call it talking to yourself....

I'm sure there are many here who have done much more paddling trips they are just a bit quite for now.

I'll mention Reinhard Zollitsch, he is a strong believer in doing his 20 miles a day and be done by early afternoon.

http://www.zollitschcanoeadventures.com/

He has paddled all the Maine coast and much more up into Canada. I usually reference his stuff when planning a trip, and of course Kate's writings. A treasure trove of information.

the wilderness question gets the mind going...the Ocean is always wild, but the camping not so much. So in some ways we have wild days but at night you see lights and what not. Sound is another factor, hard to think wilderness while listening to the chug of a lobster boat, yet that is also some of the charm.

For myself I tend to think of wilderness in terms of wildlife. Mostly I could say I have seen semi wilderness trips. Basically being from here in the east, I'm ok with black bear. moose and coyote/wolf....but when i think of wildnerness I think of British Columbia, Alaska the Territories,Great Slave Lake places like that.

A wild trip for me would be kayaking the back waters of Yellowstone..don't know if I would have the nerve for it.

...happy paddling to all....

[kate]

Couple of questions for Gary and Kate and anyone else who goes on journeys. How often do you find yourself making the trip up as you go after a few days as time, weather, and inclination change? Do you find you often struggle between the urge to go far and fast and the desire to explore , see, and experience?

I do not make up the trip as I go. I stick to my plan, although I may juggle the order of events around according to weather conditions; e.g., leaving out that 1.5 mile crossing to an island when the wind kicks up against me, or deciding to hit it on the way back. I leave a float plan with someone, and it's important not to veer too far from it unless there are compelling reasons.

I find I'm less and less interested mileage and more in exploring. I go out there to see that part of the world, and to blast past it is pointless to me. I have read accounts of circumnavs (Newfoundland comes to mind) in which the paddler expresses regret at having to pass by a beautiful bay or group of islands because a timetable must be met. Seems a grand pity to me. I guess it depends on what you want out of the trip.

[EEL]

"the paddler expresses regret at having to pass by a beautiful bay or group of islands because a timetable must be met. Seems a grand pity to me."

I suppose it is a personality thing, but as much as I want to soak in the area I'm traveling through( since I will likely never be there again) that urge to cover ground and focus on making miles seems to rise to the surface almost every time. My loss. I know paddlers who have done the Maine coast, some several times, in minimal time and often by making long crossing, and some of them regret it now. They want to do it again slowly and take the time to enjoy in the experience and surroundings. Approaching trips that way is one of my goals for 2013.

Ed Lawson

[rick stoehrer]

read this quick so apologize if mentioned somewhere -

under the potential grim reality heading...

a good question is always where's the nearest CG station / harbormaster / emergency service / hospital? if you need evac, where and how far away is help coming from? The radio is your best bet for any help but a cell phone or at least the phone #'s are awful good to have. write it down, throw it in a hatch or put it on your cell phone for reference...even if there is no cell service, you'll have the # handy if you can get a land line.

in the event of a medical emergency / injury - how well equipped is the group to handle until first responders arrive? do you feel this should limit the scope of your trip?

do you know your companions spouse / SO / next of kin name - phone # ? if things go hairball and you need to contact anyone to let them know what's going on (YOU should...not anyone else) you don't want to have to call and start the conversation "...is this the widow XXX?" have a name and a phone #.

but besides all the doom and gloom...have fun.

[...]

Kate,

I hear what you say about enjoying the "exploring" aspects of the trip. Pru has encouraged me to look at my environment and enjoy the smaller details. That is definitely an acquired skill, but when you actually PAUSE AND LOOK, the memories stay with you long after the trip. I admit to beginning some of my trips with a goal for perhaps a "grand achievement". But interestingly what I remember are the small details and humorous moments when I was not achieving anything special, but "burning" into my memory moments I will remember for a lifetime.

Warren

[Phil Allen]

Re: wilderness trips. I like the first aid definition of wilderness: anywhere help is more than an hour a way.

Rick's next o kin comment is really appropriate for any trip.

The other thing I do is try to read previous trip reports from the area. Little details like " beautiful island camp X off of Y is a mosquito nightmare" can make all the difference.

best

Phil

[rfolster]

Rick, you make a good point about having local emergency numbers written down or stored on a cell phone. I always carry my phone in my vest (in a special waterproof case) as a back up should the VHF fail or not be applicable (can not use the VHF on land). I find any helpful phone numbers (police, local outfiter, facility that may have access to a power boat, etc) and put them on my phone just incase we could always use the help. My general thought, though, has been to at least have the local police number. If you need a rescue either from the water or on an island, they will either have a rescue boat, or know someone in town that will let them use a boat.

Do you know your companions spouse / SO / next of kin name - phone # ? if things go hairball and you need to contact anyone to let them know what's going on (YOU should...not anyone else) you don't want to have to call and start the conversation "...is this the widow XXX?" have a name and a phone #.

I question this concept. Typically the trip organizer has a copy of the float plan (with e-contacts) with them, as well as a copy with at least one person on land. Everyone that goes out on a trip should have a copy of the float plan that they leave with their e-contact - that is why we have float plans. If things do go "hairball", I most likely will want to make one phone call (to my e-contact) who will assist with not only getting me (and the group) assistance if possible, but who can also make any necessary phone calls to the other e-contacts while I/we try to deal with the situation at hand.

This is the concept that has been touted by NSPN on all the trips that I have been on, and I would be curious to know what other's opinions are on this. (sorry if we are getting off course, Gary)

[Phil Allen]

Rob-

Consider the scenario that your apparently fit paddling buddy Phil, who's leading the trip, has an undiagnosed heart condition . When the big one strikes, do you want to directly give the contact info to the professionals that arrive (hopefully in minutes 'cause it happened at the put in) or have to track down the e-contact to get the info?

best

Phil (who has excellent heart health as of my last checkup)

[EEL]

Isn't it part of the SOLO Wilderness training/suggestions that you have in your first aid kit a form to give to those who come to carry off the injured party such info as a description of the incident, medications/assistance supplied, timeline, and relevant contact info? That beats using a magic marker to scrawl it on the person and/or trying to communicate info to the those who came to help when they are busy dealing with problems, your are trying to stay calm, and others are freaking out at the sight of that beautifully white bone sticking out.

Ed Lawson

[Phil Allen]

SOAP note. I use these: http://mazamas.org/pdf/otherpdf/soap.pdf

Phil

[Dabend]

I have been on many 3-4 days trips (although few solo) and I am surprised that no one has mentioned one of the most important areas of planning...locating general stores/marinas along your float plan that sell beer and ice. That and tide charts, of course (If you've ever tried walking through the mud at low tide to get to the Island Store at Isle ah Haut, you know what I mean).

[EEL]

Lets not forget wine and spirits too!
Seriously, very good point about finding stores and having some idea of what they sell so you can intelligently resupply.

Ed Lawson

[Dabend]

To that point, Ed, I have on occasion actually called ahead and bought in advance. I find the stores are reluctant to stock something for you knowing that bad weather can make you a no-show. I find that it's worth making the call. And the more remote they are, the more likely they may be on some kind of "island schedule".