Automate Hiking Trip Prep With Claude

The week before leaving for a multi-day hiking trip, I used to spend hours tracking weather sites, trail conditions, and flood and closure alerts—even though I knew everything could change the next day or by the time I left. Now I have Claude handle the research. First, I give it the basics: trail details, entry and exit points, dates, group size, and permit information. These details do not change, so they provide context for everything else. Then I ask it to search for current weather, fire, flood, and closure alerts; permit status; and recent trip reports covering water and trail conditions. I ask it to cite the source for each item. I do not let it answer from memory because conditions are too time-sensitive. I also ask it to build me a Plan B. After years of living in the mountains, I know how quickly conditions can change. Most people skip this, but I recommend always having a backup plan. I ask Claude to turn the terrain into specific decision rules, such as "Turn back if snow above 8,000ft" or "skip the crossing if water's above knee height". Finally, I set it up to give me a daily report—usually five days before the trip, two days before, and on the morning of departure—and to flag only what changed. Step-by-step: 1. I provide Claude with the trail details, entry and exit points, dates, group size, and permit information. 2. I ask it to search for current weather, fire, flood, and closure alerts, permit status, and recent trip reports about water and trail conditions. 3. I require a source citation for each item and do not let it rely on memory because the conditions are time-sensitive. 4. I ask it to create a Plan B and turn the terrain and conditions into clear decision rules, such as "Turn back if snow above 8,000ft" or "skip the crossing if water's above knee height". 5. I schedule reports for five days before the trip, two days before, and the morning of departure, with updates limited to what changed.