The successful deployment of a wireless sensor network is a difficult task, littered with traps and pitfalls. Even a functional network does not guarantee gathering meaningful data. In SensorScope, with its high-mountain campaigns, we have acquired invaluable experience in planning, conducting, and managing real-life sensor network deployments. In this paper, we share our knowledge by stepping through the entire process, from the preparatory hard- and software development to the actual field deployment. Illustrated by numerous real-life examples, excerpted from our own experience, we point out many potential problems along this way and their possible solutions.