Just last weekend I was in the Blue Ridge Mountains for a wedding with my oldest friends, all of whom were also at the wedding in France in 2017 and all of whom live hundreds if not thousands of miles away from me. We got to talking about our next big trip together, settling on a backcountry trip to Havasu Falls in Arizona next summer. We talked about the sprawling beauty we’d get to experience, and how fun it will be to be on an adventure together again, when someone brought up the question of gear. Not only will we need to coordinate schedules this time, but we’ll need to share equipment: tents, camp stove, etc. “We can just make a spreadsheet!” I said, a little too excitedly. There was some ribbing about my penchant for taking control, but everyone knew I was right: The spreadsheet is the only way to go.