Who goes camping?

sesame · #1 08-02-2008

Post ideas on camping. Describe your experiences, camping tips, list of items... whatever. How about locations? Where do you prefer to camp? In high mountains? In deep forests? Beside lakes and rivers? Do some fishing for dinner, or what? :D

ila · #2 08-02-2008

I go camping usually every summer. My camping areas are always at lakes. I'll go fishing when I'm camping, but my goal is to not catch fish. I throw a line in the water just to occupy my time. Besides no one usually bothers anyone else that is fishing and so I get some quiet time for myself.

My camping is quite austere compared to others. I have a tent, my sleeping bag, a coleman stove, and a cooler. Maybe someday I'll get a big camper, but the way the price of gas is going I'll have to come into a lot of money in order to be able to afford to even move it.

SluttyShemaleAnna · #3 08-02-2008

Never camp in a valley bottom, 'cos it will turn out to be a frost hollow, and you will wake up with your tent covered in ice. Never camp on top on a hill either, because 1, it will be too windy, 2 it will be to slopey, and 3 it will be too fucking lumpy. Halfway up is the best place. Or in a wood. Tho if you're in a wood, a badger may get in your tent and rip your testicles off.

Also, camper vans are not camping, its caravanning, which is the lowest of all forms of holidaying.

Also, real camping involves fitting everything on your back and walking to the campsite, otherwise it's just sleeping in a tent next to your car (unless there's a moderate chance of being eaten by a bear, in which case it becomes camping again.).

sesame · #4 08-02-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by SS-Anna

real camping involves fitting everything on your back and walking to the campsite, otherwise it's just sleeping in a tent next to your car (unless there's a moderate chance of being eaten by a bear, in which case it becomes camping again.).

You got me there!

Thanks for the tips.

ila · #5 08-02-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by SluttyShemaleAnna

Never camp in a valley bottom, 'cos it will turn out to be a frost hollow, and you will wake up with your tent covered in ice. Never camp on top on a hill either, because 1, it will be too windy, 2 it will be to slopey, and 3 it will be too fucking lumpy. Halfway up is the best place. Or in a wood. Tho if you're in a wood, a badger may get in your tent and rip your testicles off.

Also, camper vans are not camping, its caravanning, which is the lowest of all forms of holidaying.

Also, real camping involves fitting everything on your back and walking to the campsite, otherwise it's just sleeping in a tent next to your car (unless there's a moderate chance of being eaten by a bear, in which case it becomes camping again.).

It takes me several hours to drive to where I go camping. There's not much chance I'm going to walk there and back (1200 km) in the time that I have for holidays. The area where I go camping has a lot of bears around and moose. One doesn't really want to irritate either species. Oh yes, I can't forget about horseflies that are the as big as a man's thumb and the clouds of mosquitoes.
Gee I guess I really do go camping.

SluttyShemaleAnna · #6 08-02-2008

Any of you guys know what you are supposed to do if you are in bear filled woods with no car to lock your food inside?

You have to climb a tree 100 metres from your campsite, then put a rope from that to another tree, and hang the food bag in the middle, 12 foot from the ground and 4 foot from each tree, otherwise the bear can jump up and get at it.

Bears are far too crafty, it's only a mater of time till they learn to use firearms and drive automobiles then it's the end for us humans..... lol

sesame · #7 08-03-2008

I love walking tours. I have done it quite often in the past. If you go visit the high mountains, there is no other alternative but to walk! Pack up all things really really necessary, get rid of worthless trifles, and carry it all on your sore back! Oh, forget whatever you may, dont forget your food! It can make a difference between life and death!

It happened to me several times. Once I was dying in a heavily forested gorge, without food! It was infested with wild animals and I seriously didnt want to spend the night there. I travelled until the end of my stamina and then, just gave up! I couldnt move, my muscles bagan to fail. I just sat down to pray and slowly die. Along came a woodcutter, and my hopes rekindled! I asked him for food, he smiled and told me that he had none, only a pile of firewood! By the way, he told me that there was a spring nearby. I sat up, concentrated on my options. I was out of water. Since I was going to die anyway, why not look in my bag one last time? I rummaged my bag and found a packet of 200 gms of sugar! Just what I needed. I part crawled on all four, part walked to a very shadowy part of the woods, following the mild hisss sound of the spring. I filled my bottle with water, poured all the sugar in and shook it to a solution for minutes. And then, I drank that life saving nectar! Yes, thank God! That liquid, rich in all the energy I needed, sustained me for a 5 km uphill climb! This happened somewhere near Chopta and Mukku-Bend on my way to Tunganath. Its marked reddish in the map. Those days were really good. I walked about 215 kms in 8 days, without rest. I took many shortcuts through jungles and avoided the road as much as I could. The whole 5 Kedarnath belt was covered on foot! First I wore canvas shoes! The leeches got inside the socks and sucked my blood for hours! The white shoes became brown at the end of the day. After a few days, they were shattered rags! I got rid of them and purchased a pair of slippers from a village local store. After some more stressful walking, I developed sores all over my feet, from constant friction. The next scene is pretty hilarious, an ironic grin comes to my face, every time I think of it. That is, me limping barefooted over the tracks, slippers in hand. Wherever the stretch was filled with jagged rocks, I would put on the slippers and go barefoot again when the pain became too much. I was so thankful & glad when I finally completed my route and finally stood on the asphalt road with transportation in Helang, not far from Urgam. Mission accomplished! :D

Advice: Better be very choosy about what you carry, its your own hide! Or else if you are a rich lucky fatso you can afford to hire a porter or two. Dont just leave your trash in the mountains or forests, collect them, bring em back to the stinking city, where they belong! Wear waterproof shoes with 2 socks or anklets inside. That way, your feet will be in good working condition for a long time. Always keep some Glucose in handy.

Image: My hand drawn map from 2004. It describes in detail the route I took from Kedarnath to Helang.

ila · #8 08-04-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by SluttyShemaleAnna

Also, camper vans are not camping, its caravanning,

It may be called caravanning in the UK, but it's not called that where I live.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SluttyShemaleAnna

which is the lowest of all forms of holidaying.

That would be your opinion. If I had trailer and the vehicle to move it then I would definitely go camping in that. It's drier, more comfortable, and it sure is nice to be able to get away from all the flying and biting blood sucking insects.

jimnaseum · #9 08-04-2008

We would hike the Appalachian Trail when I was a kid, very safe, I got into alot more trouble hitch-hiking with no money. In Miami, I met my first transexual in a baby blue T-bird, She was so beautiful she looked like a Doll. My worst experience was at the beach, no money for a hotel, so we got eaten alive by mosquitos all night.

SluttyShemaleAnna · #10 08-05-2008

The proper use for a caravan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JB74LJXAKYc

And the proper use of a motorhome: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHpfW_yXInE

Tent racing is yet to be invented.

DaveDanger · #11 08-07-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by sesame

Post ideas on camping. Describe your experiences, camping tips, list of items... whatever. How about locations? Where do you prefer to camp? In high mountains? In deep forests? Beside lakes and rivers? Do some fishing for dinner, or what? :D

A few years ago me and a mate were camping in Sitges (Spain) so we could go to the annual horror film fest. The festival is usually in early October, but that year it was in late November - early December, and it was damn cold - and, being a bit of an idiot, I didn't take a sleeping bag and had to sleep in two t-shirts, a jumper and my leather jacket, as well as wrapping my feet in towels. The campsite itself is about two miles or so outside of the town centre, and you could either walk along a dual carriage way or past some rabid dogs and along the seafront to get into town.

Saying all that though, it's a beautiful place, and an experience I'll never forget. Also, there were at least 15 semi-feral cats also living on the site and every night the kittens would try to get in the tent. I imagine it would be great in the summer.

TracyCoxx · #12 09-05-2008

The best kind of camping for me is out of a backpack and in the mountains. I've camped near Half dome and climbed it, I hiked up to Boulderfield (12000 ft elevation) on Long's Peak in Colorado and climbed it. And also climbed Mount Whitney in California. Unfortunately I don't live close to the mountains so I haven't done it as much as I like. But I will do more. My dream climb is Mt McKinley.

Ogryn1313 · #13 09-06-2008

I live in Appalachia. Forest covered mountains...naturally I go camping. But I also turn my camping excursions into a chance to do some target practice.