I recently saw the survey about planning for a paddle trip, and the author said unless it was for a multi-day trip, he would just throw his boat on his car, and the paddles and PFD in the back and just go. He admitted most people should do more planning.
Heck yeah.
I have ended up at a multi-day trip without a sleeping bag. And a couple of day trips without a paddle.
Maybe a little planning would have helped. Like at least a paper list, so things like sleeping bags and paddles wouldn't get left behind in the bustle of getting ready for the trip.
One member told of starting to drive to a trip, and a couple of blocks down the road noticed he couldn't see the tie-downs that should have been holding his boat to the top of the car. Oh, wait. His boat. He hadn't put the boat on the car.
Get the basic outline down - How long, where, which river, and a plan B in case the weather changes between the time you leave your house, and when you arrive at the launch site.
It happens.
- Boat.
- Paddle.
- Spare paddle..
- Food.
- Water.
- Dry bag with extra clothes and towels.
- PFD.
- Knife attached to outside of PFD. (In an emergency, you don't want to be fumbling in a pocket, hunting for a knife)
- Whistle attached to outside of PFD.
- Camping gear if a multi-day trip.
- First Aid kit.
- Map to launch site, and take-out.
- Cell phone in waterproof container.
Then, take a look at the weather forecast - not that you can trust them further than you can throw a paddle. But at least you have some idea of what clothes to wear. And what clothes to put in the dry bag in case you tip over.
If you are going with a group, get phone numbers of the trip leader, and maybe a couple of others on the trip.
Once, my car broke down going on the shuttle from the launch to the take-out, while I was the last car in the convoy, and I didn't have any way to contact any of the other folks on the trip, who left me in the dust. On the side of the road. With a broken car.
Then, tell someone who is NOT on the trip, where you are going, and when you intend to get back. A trusted neighbor, or family member. And give them an emergency contact number for a member of your family who would be in charge of organizing a rescue or informing the police if you don't return in reasonable time.
There are several reports of rescues made possible by timely reports from worried family members.
It doesn't happen often around here, but folks in the Great Lakes and Boundary Waters have been known to get stranded and unable to paddle anywhere because of high winds. For days. It is known as being "windbound."
Check the water flow: waterdata.usgs.gov and remember to check if there has been rain upstream recently. Once we had planned on a trip on the Brazos; and for the week and the night before, the water flow was about 700 CFS (cubic feet per second), which would have been a slow paddle upstream to a gravel bar for lunch. There was a rainstorm upstream, and by the time we arrived at the launch site, the water was flowing at 23,000 CFS, and rising. Change of plans, we had a quick trip downstream for 20 miles.
Many of the places we go don't have cell service, and are hard to get to or get out of.
Do some planning.