Documenting an Exploration / Expedition
By Bob Rein, Adventurer: Reflections off the Grid
May 2023
You have just completed the adventure of a lifetime. Or maybe you went on a high adventure trip. Or perhaps you just explored an area you never knew existed and discovered places and things or saw some magical scenery or wildlife. You return home, truly invigorated or maybe inspired to go again. You tell friends and family about your experiences and they listen attentively. Most people take pictures with their cell phone cameras or a dedicated camera. Maybe, you took a video. But for most folks that is the extent of capturing the experience. Time passes and from time to time, you recollect the adventure. You wish you had more details about the trip that you just can’t recall.
As we experience these adventures, it would be advantageous to have a more detailed description of the trip so that more vivid memories could be recalled. Another reason might be that you want to revisit the adventure and do it again with some new twist. Wouldn’t it be important to recall what went right and what went wrong? What were those minute details that saved you time or money or maybe got you out of a potential disaster? Where exactly did you go, where did you camp, where did you put-in on the lake or ocean, where did you take-out? These details may be tough or impossible to recall as time goes on.
More experienced adventurers and explorers document their journey’s. Some are very structured and very detailed. The simplest and easiest way is to take notes in the field and then on arriving home, transcribe them into a journal. Information like where you went, what type of activities you engaged in, weather conditions, gear notes, and then a narrative about the trip and inclusion of some photos is all you need.
As an explorer or expedition taker, I start documenting even before I take the trip. I tie it into a detailed trip plan and upon completion of the exploration, I add a Trip Report to my documentation. A typical trip report (documentation) could at minimum include:
- The trip name and date(s)
- The latitude and longitude of the area of exploration or other methods of pinpointing significant places along the way as well as the starting and ending points.
- Objectives of the trip
- The participants
- Activities / Experiences by day
- Statistics (e.g., Distance traveled, duration, temperature / weather, etc.)
- Narrative on what went right & what went wrong.
- What would I do differently were I to repeat a trip like this?
- What gear did I take and how did it hold up? What I had no use for on the trip, what was essential, or what would I like to upgrade.
- My overall impressions of the trip.
One could also insert photos, videos, GPS tracks, and other technical information.
Having completed many land and water-based explorations, I enjoy having the ability to look back and recall fond memories of trips taken. I also use this means to enhance my next trip, be it by learning from my mistakes or figuring out how to improve my techniques or my gear selection. There are several examples of this documentation to be found on this website under the Expeditions tab. Feel free to get a glimpse into these fantastic adventures.
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