Camping!

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So I was home from Atlanta for just a day before grabbing Mark and Pixel, packing it up again and heading for the woods. I’ve been planning this camping trip since the end of April and the best part is that I planned it all via spreadsheet!!!!

I started by listing all the summer weekends and all the friends I thought might be interested in going. Then I populated it with stuff that I knew was going on and asked others to do the same. And they actually did it! Well mostly – I did have to stalk a few people for info but mostly because I was so excited about the spreadsheet.

I don’t want to toot my own horn here but really it was a convenient way to quickly see what everyone was up to. And I did get multiple thank-yous and compliments on it … just sayin’…

Since it was created in Google docs, there was only one copy and I was able to share it with everyone without having to periodically send out an updated file. Plus multiple people could edit it if they wanted (and who wouldn’t want to?). I didn’t know until this camping planning experience but there is also a chat feature on Google docs so if multiple people are viewing the document, they can chat too! In the future, I would love to see a world where more people hung out on spreadsheets to chat. Sigh. Don’t get me wrong, I still love Excel but I’ve been moving more and more towards the cloud concept of Google docs since it’s so convenient and you don’t really need to worry about version control. I do wish Google’s spreadsheet tools were a little more robust – for instance, I still haven’t found a way to create jump links within a document to move further down in a long list without having to open it in another window. You can do this really easily in Excel and seems simply enough for Google to embrace. If anyone knows how, let me know!

Once the magical weekend was identified via spreadsheet, I booked our campsite and sent out the info for others to do the same. This illustration was updated every time another site was booked.  It was really one of the highlights of my day.

In addition to the calendar and map, the spreadsheet also contained general info (rates, rules, parking, firewood policy, etc), links for making reservations, a mini spreadsheet with site sharing suggestions, a list of shareable items and even an FAQ tab! It truly was a one-stop-shop for all your camping information needs. It’s practically portfolio worthy!

Ok! Enough about spreadsheets. Geez, stop asking me to write about them!!

The final count was 15 adults, 2 children and 1 dog. And apart from a few mishaps – those dang raccoons stealing buns, flipping chairs, throwing candles and forcing people to drink whiskey – it was a nice time. We sang songs around the campfire where Mark played guitar and (amazingly) several people wore head flashlights. We cooked over fires and a tailgate grill. We went on trails with misleading signage – through swarms of flies, dry creek beds with dead fish, and buzzing power lines. We went to the beach where Pixel sported her snazzy Pixel-preserver.

When Mark had her out in the water with it, he was instantly popular. I was so proud when she doggie paddled her way over to me. And on the way home, we smartly scheduled an appointment with the beauty parlor to wash all that camping goodness away!

Thanks for everyone who came out and everyone who took the time to appreciate the spreadsheet! I will definitely be using spreadsheets for future group planning!

6 thoughts on “Camping!

  1. amanda

    Another great recap. Thanks for putting it all together. You lost me a little during the spreadsheet talk -blah, blah, blah – but I was back on when Pixel was mentioned. Darn those raccoons!

    Reply

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