db wrote on Oct 1^st, 2013 at 6:33am:

Canoe season is drawing to a close in BW/Q, so for many of us, sometime over the next few months it'll be time to start planning next year's trip(s).

For me, that means choosing a calendar slot and route, then searching PCD, the portage databases and the forums for info on the campsites, portages, and lakes. Then I make custom 1:50000 maps of the route and plan out a day-by-day itinerary.

My itineraries aren't meant to be slavishly followed. Rather, they're sets of benchmarks: if I choose or am forced to delay or accelerate part of a trip, I know where I might have to cut the time short or where I might get to spend extra time if I like the area. And I always know where most of the good campsites are.

I also like to use the itineraries as scratch pads for info that might be of use. Like for the Baird to Unnamed portage: "The high route (preferred, not shown on map) starts at a small landing 200 m S of the knee deep bog route takeout"

Does this take all the joy of discovery out of tripping? Quite the opposite: Once all my options have been clearly laid out beforehand, I never have to do much thinking and can spend my valuable canoe time living "in the moment". A quick look at the topo map and you know pretty much what a given lake or river looks like before you get there anyway, so in one sense there isn't much discovery left regardless of how much planning you do. But the weather and seasons are always changing, and the small scale details of the landscape are always unpredictable, so in another sense, it's almost all discovery, no matter how many trip reports you read in advance.

What approach do other people take to canoe trip planning?

I'm with Joe 100%. I do almost exactly what he does in getting ready for a trip. I've always said that, whether it's a canoe trip or some other trip, half of the enjoyment comes from planning it.

Since our Quetico trips are almost always in September, it means I have to start planning in early January to get maximum benefit of this planning phase! (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)

My trip planning is along the lines of Spartan II.  Too much detail makes me physically tired! 

My wife, on the other hand, is a classic analyst.  To her, there is no such thing as too much information, too much detail, too many options.  For me, I prefer the view from 30,000 feet.  Give me a general idea and that's good enough. 

Fascinating how we all  differ in interpreting information.  It's been the subject of advanced degrees, books, and technical workshops. 

How boring life would be if we were all the same.

prouboy

Seems we all have our own ways to plan and trip, but there are many similarities.  Up until the past couple years, I planned in great detail--maps, numbers of days, routes, alternate routes, campsites, reservations months prior, portage information, food lists, hotels, tows, you name it. 

Now I just sorta sit around late winter and spring deciding how many trips, how many days, and the general area I want to visit.  I'll look at the forums and the PCD for campsite/portage/fishing info.  Last few trips I've found the campsite data to be hit and miss with someone's 5-star being a 2-star for me or vice-versa.  I'll get out my McKenzie maps and dot the prime campsites to look at along the way.  If I'm traveling to a new more remote area for me, I'll make a portage note or two if available on the maps.  I don't bother with GPS and other electronic means of navigation. 

Since I drive about 1000 miles each way, I'll make Q reservations 2 weeks or so in advance along with bunkhouses/hotels/tows.  Then I'll prep the canoes, tents, tarps and packs.  A couple days prior to departing, I'll update my checklist, permethrin my clothing, purchase food and start packing the camping and fishing gear.  Last thing I do is leave an itinerary with my wife, check everything off a list as I pack it and put it into the car, give her a kiss and I'm off.

These days, planning is agreeing on when and where and waiting for Pascanell to show up in my driveway.

With the exception of food, we basically stay packed for canoe camping all year so we can head to the cabin for long weekends and sneak down through Batch or Beaverhouse 3-4 times a summer.