Flexibility
If only our wilderness experiences were completely predictable. They seldom are. Part of being prepared is the ability to be flexible with planning. Always keep in the back of your mind that things may not go as planned. If you know that, and you encounter some type of unexpected circumstance, then hey, you can still have a extraordinary experience. It’s good to have a plan, its better to have a plan that’s flexible.
Here’s some examples. You travel all this way, show up at a busy trailhead overflowing with cars. No problem. You did some homework. You know about some other trailheads not too far away so you make your way to one of them and find it relatively quiet and you end up having an area all to yourself. Or, you plan on camping at a lake, but when you arrive, camps are everywhere. No worries, you got a Plan B, you’ve done your homework and know some other areas close that you can camp at. Or the weather turns nasty, streams prove to be impassible, there’s still deep snow on the trail.
If you spend enough time learning about the area, executing a Plan B can still result in a fantastic or even better experience