Spring is in the air. Well, maybe not. Not yet. Not quite. But the days are noticeably longer than they were a month ago, and the sun rises a little farther north on the horizon each morning. I’m getting itchy feet, too. I long to spin my wheels and hold a paddle in my hand again. But when I look out over the landscape I see … what, exactly? Snow, that’s what. A monochrome landscape. Filthy, deep ruts frozen into the sandy, snowy slop on the roads. Ice from shore to shore on The River. It will be weeks before winter loosens its grip in these mountains. Until then, I’m left high and dry, with my touring bike hanging from its hooks and my panniers waiting to be filled. Which leaves trip planning as the best alternative.

It’s easy to see trip planning as a poor substitute for the real thing, of course. And if you’re impatient — as I often am — it is. Approach trip planning in the proper state of mind, however, and it soon becomes an adventure in its own right. Drawing up equipment lists and shopping for new stuff whets the appetite like nothing else can. Gear. Clothing. Maps. Books. Each gets a list of its own, and every item requires careful consideration, a judicious weighing of pros and cons, a balancing of costs and benefits. And then you come to the most important list of all, the trip bill of fare…Read more…

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