Stay in Charge

Working with Claude on my Tahoe Rim Trail planning has been like working with a golden retriever. Enthusiastic. Tireless. Happy to help. Will keep going until I tell it to stop or I run through my usage limit (agh!). It does not get bored, does not get frustrated, does not roll its eyes at my questions.

It has been an incredible partner. But it is a partner, not the leader. That’s still my job.

I made a mistake. Claude defaulted to AllTrails for distances because that’s what I use for Colorado hikes. It knew me and it tried to help. But the TRTA explicitly says not to use AllTrails for distance and information on this trail. I missed that. I had to go back and recalculate — many iterations. Many sessions.

That’s not a Claude problem. That was a me problem. I didn’t ask the right question. I didn’t push back on the source.

Where Claude really delivers? The detailed, tedious, get-it-exactly-right work. Pack weight down to the ounce. My Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 tent weighs 2 lbs 11 oz. Claude does that math faster and more accurately. Better than any spreadsheet (though I do love spreadsheets). Love having help with the gear recommendations too!

I also used Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini in tandem when refining. Iron sharpening iron. That made everything sharper.

The interactive trail planning tool we built together — elevation charts, water plan, food plan, day by day routes — is genuinely beautiful. Worth every minute. But I had to verify every detail myself. Want to see it? jeanie.brevoort.com

AI does not know what it doesn’t know. My job is to know the difference. Let it be the tireless golden retriever it is.

But stay in charge.