During the winter of 2017-2018 one of my Scouting buddies, Larry, asked if I’d be interested in helping to organize a group trip down the Wisconsin River. Our troop had done a trip in 2016 and we’d had a good time, and while this trip would be mostly with people we know through Scouts it would not be a Scouting activity.
After going over our calendars and ruling out dates, we ultimately landed upon Father’s Day weekend. Over the rest of winter & into spring the roster grows and shrinks as people get invited and some will later back out due to conflicts. Closer to our trip date some of us get together at a local watering hole to set down specifics like put in location, date and time to meet up, and where we’ll exit. Larry has done some advance research and we will be targeting one of the sections upstream of Spring Green as the sandbars are plentiful in this stretch when conditions favor it. We talk through a menu for the trip and figure out the communal gear we’d be needing. I have a lot of white gas stuff, and IMO it works very well for river trips compared to 1lb propane canisters since there isn’t the bulk and weight of the canisters when they’re empty. I’ll supply the stoves, some tables, and a cooler. Others also pitch in coolers, a pop up shelter, cooking supplies, and cleaning supplies. Thanks to our association to our Scout troop, the troop committee graciously allows us to borrow the troop’s canoe trailer along with whatever watercraft we need.