4
Plan & Prep
What does it take to make an adventure ? Planning . It takes a lot of planning . Good planning . If you want to make the most out of your trip to the outdoors , you need to create a course of action and execute it . ( And Brad specifically mentioned keeping it realistic !) While picking a destination and charting a route is a part of the planning phase , I want to focus more on the preparation part of planning . As military folks say , “ A failure to plan is a plan to fail .”
It ’ s best to meet basic needs first . Where will you sleep ? How and where will you eat ? If you ’ re already a camper and experienced getting outside , you will usually have these boxes checked off and it ’ s more of a discussion about what kind of food you want to eat . You can either stick with simple easy meals such as dehydrated food from Mountain House or you can go full Marco and bring the entire kitchen with fresh food . Either way , you need to plan out your meals in advance because you don ’ t want to be stuck out in the backcountry with a lack of calories or coffee . Other considerations can be more related to the kind of experience you want to have . Do you want to film your adventure ? Do you want to hike through trails or mountains and canyons ? What will you need when you arrive at your destination ? Do you want to have a rigid or loose schedule ? With even just these simple questions our packing and to-do list is growing — and growing fast . And don ’ t forget first aid . Most of you know that Brad is a retired Navy Master Chief , but did you know he was a Hospital Corpsman ? By definition , a
Hospital Corpsman ( naval rating designator , HM ) is an enlisted person serving in either the Navy or Marines , trained to give first aid and basic medical treat- ment , usually in a combat setting . Being prepared for medical emergen- cies is one of Brad ’ s passion points and , without a doubt , he always has a comprehensive medical bag at the ready — and you should too .
Finally , when dealing with camera equipment , you ’ ll have to figure out how to pack and store your gear to protect it from the elements . You ’ ll also need to find a way to keep batteries charged . Specific outdoor activities usually require unique items such as proper hiking boots , hydration systems , swim gear ( if you plan to jump into a lake ), etc . These are just a few considerations you should take into account when planning your trip .
PRO TIP : IT ’ S OK TO STAY IN A HOTEL !
54 GOING FURTHER TOGETHER