Introduction:
The first step is to find a river that is intriguing to you. After that we need to determine if it is of the appropriate difficulty for your group. This can be accomplished in three primary ways. 1st hand experience is the best way to gather information. If you know the individuals ability and trust their judgment you can obtain the details that are not provided by any other resource. Guidebooks and the Internet should be your second source of information. Guidebooks are usually a sterile way to obtain information, but they are consistent. Make sure you look at when they were published for relevance. Another good idea is to find a run that you are familiar with in that book so you can use this as a litmus test for the quality of information. The Internet is a vast source of information, but be careful and take what you find with grain of salt. While wikis and blogs provide updated information individuals who are looking to add their personality to the content write them. That can skew things quite a bit depending on their personality and skill level. Hearsay and rumor our last place for credible information. Be cautious on how much you trust this information, and to what extent you implement it into your planning.