Everyone has a plan, until they get punched in the face!

As they Baz, if you haven't got a plan, you can't change it, or better still, fail to plan, plan to fail.

I have a very rough plan, not a lot of detail. My personnal safety is what is paramount and I assess the risks as I go and act accordingly. If I am away for 3 or 4 months as I often am I see little point in any detailed plan. At any given time I will have a plan for the day and a rough idea of the next week. To many variables when remote travelling to have a "plan" for every possibility.
I also update on a daily basis if necessary, an exit and/or rescue plan and that I am easily able to make the next fuel stop. That is I have considered what I would do in the event of things going pear shaped, either with myself or my vehicle. I carry a satellite phone, a PLB, a SPOT device, and of course a mobile phone, and also have a Ground Charlie following my track. I have 6 devices with a GPS in it. If all this fails, well I have had a good life and at least I died doing what I like doing.

Baz, just finished reading your blog. We are planners, but like everyone our plans could always be improved. We DO have a point-of-no-return awareness.

As an aviation enthusiast (eldest lad is a commercial pilot) the message that filters through from most accident analyses in the "crash comics" is the Swiss Cheese principle. That is, the outcome is almost invariably the result of a number of separate and distinct errors or failures. It is only when these line up like the holes in sliced swiss cheese that there is a hole right through. The same is probably the case in many terrestrial accidents/disasters, and often these events/failures are in the RESPONSE of those in control to the initial "hole". That is where both training and planning come into their own. It's almost a case of the Boy Scouts' motto: be prepared.

Baz, one can see from your profile and other posts that your are a very experienced traveller. However I do not think I understand what the point is you are trying to make. It is because of your experiance that I would like to understand what you are saying.
This is a quote from your blog
"It is a time that whilst in the stress free environment of your home “living room” you can assess all aspects of the undertaking without the pressure of things crumbling around you, out in the field, and for which you have not developed a response."
It would help me to understand what you are saying, and presumably others, if you could tell us what you wrote during this assessment of say your last trip.

Hi Baz,

I usually do the planning for the group I travel with.
It starts out with a concept of where we want to go and how long we have.
I put this into a spreadsheet, then we have a meeting (over a few drinks) to see if everyone agrees and if not, we modify the details.
On occasions this may result in a second spreadsheet, a Plan B if you like, until the time arrives to depart.
Then it is up to Mother Nature as to whether we achieve our planned goals, or if we need to modify the trip "on the go" should road closures intrude, or other unplanned situations occur.
Usually, we have no problems, but when traveling through the outback, one always has to be aware of any unforeseen circumstances.

A trip later this year is planned from Adelaide, up the Birdsville Track as far as Bulia, then across to Longreach, back down to Windorah and then the Planet Arrabury Road to Haddon Corner, down to Innamincka, down the Strzelecki Track to the Gammon Ranges NP, or Chambers Gorge and finally to Blinman for the last overnighter before home.

This is a fairly ambitious trip over a four week period but we are pretty confident of the trip and our planned camping stays for varying lengths of time, from 1 to 5 nights along the way. We will adjust our stays as and if we decide. Even Plan "A" or Plan "B" is flexible.
With 3 vehicles we have the means of "Group Support" should something turn pear shaped if rain results in a road closure for a few days, we will simply stay where we are until the road or track is opened again.

We are all so looking forward to another of our Outback experiences again, the type of camping we love and the great friendship we share.

Interesting post Baz, and while I agree with the broad principle, there are some other considerations that will impact on how well any plan might work in practice. I think you are primarily referring to risk in a physical sense, and while that is very important there are wider perspectives like enjoyment and sustainability(would you do another similar trip) that will determine whether the trip was a success, and not "simply" free of accidents or adverse events.

Are you planning for a solo (ie single vehicle) or group trip? A solo traveller will need to ensure they have the skills, equipment and provisions to deal with an emergency. A plan for a group trip relies on very good communication both in the planning stage and during the trip. Multiple forms of communication - both written and verbal are required so that everyone is "on the same page", particularly if the group includes people who don't know each other, or who have not travelled together before.

In the comfort of our living room it might be possible to predict and plan for some risks - mechanical failures, availability of critical consumables (fuel, water), weather impacts and so on. But it can be very difficult to foresee the impact of travelling in challenging conditions and the emotional responses that arise. This is particularly so when group dynamics come into play. There are simple techniques to deal with these types of situations, and we have seen them used to great effect. Unfortunately most groups skirt around these issues, usually with less than satisfactory outcomes.

Which brings me to probably the most important part of any plan - the goal, aim, objective, outcome or whatever you want to call it. Even couples or good friends can have trouble here - is the aim to travel or to arrive, the journey or the destination? What speed, how long to stay in camp, departure and stopping times; the list goes on and is greatly compounded in a group situation. When travelling in a group it is critical to have group goals that are arrived at in a manner that is agreed by the members and then clearly communicated and revised as necessary.

I don't think any of this negates what you have said but maybe highlights some other significant components in trip planning and implementation.

Cheers,

Val.

As they say in the military, a plan lasts till the first engagement.

Hi Baz, I think I have worked out why we have differing views. From your last posts it
seems to me that what you call a "plan" is what I (and maybe others) would call "risk management". With remote area travel if you get it wrong you can be dead, its that simple.
I take a lot of interest in the misfortune of others to see if there is anything to be learnt. At the end of the day experience and common sense is what counts the most. There are just to many variables with remote travel and if you cannot keep a cool head in a crisis then I suggest you do not go, or at least go with someone who can.
Complacency is your enemy. A few years ago I heard of, and saw pictures of a Troopy that had rolled over in the Vic high country. I wanted to know how it happen and is there a lesson there for me. Talking to people who were there I came to the conclusion that the driver must have been an idiot, notwithstanding that he was in a 4WD club and also an ExplorOz member. Last year I met this bloke and he is a very long way from being an idiot. He is very experienced, but being a humane being and not a machine, you do not always get it right. The lesson here is that it does not matter who you are or what your experience is, you are a humane being so are not perfect and can make the simplest of mistakes.
IT CAN HAPPEN TO YOU.
Having a timetable and having presure to keep to it is something I see as a big risk. I simply will not do it and don't. If you are still working then I would plan to be home 3 - 4 days earlier and be very aware that decisions influenced by a timetable carry with them an avoidable risk. Far better to boil the billy, set up an early camp and muse over the issue and consider all possible angles. Being late back for work is much more preferable than not getting back at all.

An enjoyable read. “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail” springs to mind.

Many posters on here seem well prepared with communications equipment, mechanical spares, food and water etc.
(Personally, by the sounds of it, some would seem to be carrying too much, over duplicating, having unnecessary multiple redundancies etc. To me this suggests that you are potentially solving the wrong problem.)

Anyway, my main point if first aid.
For remote area travel, I would hope that you all carry an appropriate first aid kit, and understand the uses of each component.

But what level of first aid training do you have? Have you considered a Wilderness First Aid course?
These provide you with further skills for when you are more than 1 hour from definitive medical care.

Before and after you have set off your PLB/SPOT/EPIRB or called for help on the sat phone/hf radio/uhf/mobile, what do you do? How can you best manage the patient(s)?
The courses will help you to decide when to rapidly evacuate, evacuate or manage in the field.

So in your planning, who in your group has first aid training, and of what level? And having just one highly trained person isn't ideal either, as chances are they may end up being the one incapacitated!

I believe that some people are better adapted to certain "risk" activities than others. And if you are one of those people you will have known it from when you were a child and all your life experiences have brought you to the point you are at now. As part of my approach to life I love to constantly LEARN how to do things better, or to master a new skill. I never see obstacles and am very optimistic (maybe a little less so now that I age, but certainly not a procrastinator or pessimist). So within my life's plan - I have sought to learn new skills to equip myself to have coping mechanisms that allow me the freedom to partake and enjoy the activities I choose to do.

Not only have I travelled Australia extensively, worked in a wide variety of workplaces and careers, but I have tried my hand at many many different sporting pursuits. Each of these activities has taught me different things, and I've adapted to the rigors of learning the correct techniques and marveled in how wonderfully the human brain and body work together.

I think the key to PLANNING how to avoid, or cope with mishaps, is firstly having had many challenging life experiences that have enabled you to know your limits, know your strengths and have faith in yourself when things don't go to plan. When travelling with others, you also need to have had experiences with those people to know their limits, their strengths, and to have built trust.

Many people I've met throughout my entire life have been thoroughly confused and shocked at the things I've done. Many would view my life as full of danger and risk but I've yet to be in a serious situation I couldn't get out of ;)! I do feel its a matter of attitude, skills, resilience, and adaptability.

My view on planning a trip is therefore that my whole life has been one great plan to enable me to take the adventures I seek as a mature adult. I know my limits and I know when I start to feel I'm getting out of my comfort zone and that is when all my senses kick in to use the skills and theory of safety and survival techniques. I've made some mistakes that could have ended in disaster had I not acted in the way I did. I never view that as Plan A failing, and going to Plan B and I certainly don't have a conscious or written scenario for these. It comes from within, from commonsense.

Sorry if that sounds a bit egotistical, but I'm trying to describe that within each person is the key to whether a plan will succeed or fail. It's not something you write on paper - it's how you assess every little turn in the road. Whether you are out in the bush without modern tools and conveniences, or back at home - we make life changing decisions every moment of our lives.