So you’ve decided to organize a multi-day river trip with some friends. You’ve all decided what stretch of river you’ll be doing. So what’s next? The key to any successful river trip is in the pre-trip planning. The more you can do ahead of time, the smoother the trip will go, and the more time you will have in camp to explore or relax. After all, this is why you are going on the trip.

There are lots of aspects to the pre-planning. And since you are going with a group of friends, not a guide service someone has to do the job of the guide service. However, this doesn’t mean that one person needs to be saddled with the whole job. Instead use the strengths of group and divide and conquer. Pick one or two people with the most familiarity or the most experience to be your group leaders. These people are then responsible for planning the trip itself. They are responsible for getting the maps, planning put ins and take outs, transportation, campsites, number of miles traveled per day, etc. They need to make sure you have all the permits necessary for using land along the river’s edge. The trip leaders also need to check on current river conditions, especially any rapids. It’s always a good idea to contact state and federal agencies that manage land along the river corridor. They often have free maps and information for the public. They’ll need to check wi!

th any private land owners as well. Local knowledge is also very valuable. Local outfitters will have the most current information on river conditions, and will know land ownership along the river.

You will need a gear coordinator. Someone in the group needs to take charge of getting together a list of what gear the group has collectively, and make sure you have everything you need without over doing it! The gear coordinator needs to make sure there are enough boats for the group size as well as personal floatation devices for all. Camp equipment should include the camp kitchen, tents, group shelters etc. Some river trips require you to pack out all human waste, so a camp latrine will be part of your gear list. Safety equipment is a must and should include throw bags, bow lines, and hardware such as carabineers at a minimum. There should be a good first aid kit in at least one of the boats and some sort of communication device (i.e. VHF radio, cell phone, sat phone, etc.).

There should be a safety coordinator in the group as well. This person will work with the gear coordinator to make sure the safety equipment is in working order and that at least a couple of people in the group know how to use it. If only one person knows how to use rescue throw bags and that person is the one needing to be rescued, you’re in trouble. The safety coordinator will also develop standard hand or whistle signals so that you can communicate quickly between boats. This really needs to be established before the trip begins, not when you’re in the middle of the big rapids and voices are lost in the roar of the river.

And finally you’ll want a camp chef. This person is not necessarily in charge of all the cooking. Rather they are in charge of planning the menu, buying food, and packing it for the trip. They are also in charge of developing the sign up sheet for kitchen duties. The camp chef will poll the group for food likes and dislikes, food allergies and any budget concerns. Also there may be some members of your group that have food to donate to the trip. Once the information is gathered the chef can plan a menu that will work well on the river. The chef should come up with an estimated budget and present it to the group before finalizing the menu.

Packing food is really important, especially in warm weather when spoilage is a concern. Pack one cooler for each day on the river with dinner on the bottom and breakfast on top of the cooler. The most perishable foods should be used first, and the least perishable foods used toward the end of a trip. Each cooler should be labeled and sealed. Let the group know that it is taboo to open any cooler before the day it is labeled for. This will insure that the cold stays in as long as possible. You should pack lunch coolers separately. Lunch coolers will contain 2-3 days worth of lunches as well as snack foods while on the river. Also, when packing the coolers into rafts, try to keep the lunch coolers accessible. You don’t want to have to unpack the whole boat when you stop for lunch.

With a little pre-planning and division of labor you can plan a trip that you and your friends will remember for a lifetime. You’ll be talking about the river trip for years!

Alaska River Expeditions and specializes in Alaska Vacation, Lodging and Vacation Packages in Cordova Alaska.