What Do You DO In Camp?
Michael Elliott
So with much research and many dollars, my pack list is refined and
refined, and the total weight tends in a downward direction. However,
when it is time to pack, I always add an item that does not appear on the
pack list: a book to read, a thing that can add 6 to 12 ounces of weight
to my pack. That, and a little Walkman-type cassette player (6oz with
single lithium AA battery) with some inspirational tapes (2 oz /
cassette).
The thought of hiking without these items occurs. I would save weight.
But . . . but . . . what would I DO in camp, do for all those hours
between, say, dinner and beddy-bye time without them to occupy myself?
I am not without resources. I meditate, which is weight-free. I putter
about camp, tidying and, well, puttering. I snap a few shots with my
camera. I look about, I listen, I smile. But I still want something to
do, especially after dark.
What do YOU do in camp for recreation?
--
Michael Elliott
e-mail: au...@altavistaaudio.com
David Van Baak
fill;
after setting up camp, if there's time before cooking, there's always the
local reconaissance to do--a walkabout feels so good without a pack;
there's a 'water run' to make, and supper to cook;
and if all's well, by the time dessert is over it's time to go to bed.
Early to bed means less flashlight time, and means earlier rising in the
morning;
once it's at all light, it's time for breakfast, and the start of a new day.
Then again, you're quite right that winter nights are quite a bit too long.
I recall once going through the above routine, getting to bed by dark,
tossing, turning, and dozing for what seemed like a really long time,
finally waking and hoping it was nearly morning, and guess what--it was now
*ta-da!* 9 p.m.!
Michael Elliott wrote:
> . . .
Michael Elliott
> I try to hike long enough into the day so as not to leave a lot of time to
> fill;
> after setting up camp, if there's time before cooking, there's always the
> local reconaissance to do--a walkabout feels so good without a pack;
> there's a 'water run' to make, and supper to cook;
> and if all's well, by the time dessert is over it's time to go to bed.
> Early to bed means less flashlight time, and means earlier rising in the
> morning;
> once it's at all light, it's time for breakfast, and the start of a new day.
>
> Then again, you're quite right that winter nights are quite a bit too long.
> I recall once going through the above routine, getting to bed by dark,
> tossing, turning, and dozing for what seemed like a really long time,
> finally waking and hoping it was nearly morning, and guess what--it was now
> *ta-da!* 9 p.m.!
>
LOL! That's exactly what I'm talking about! I sleep maybe 7 hours a night
and this time of the years I'm experiencing about 12 hours of darkness.
Practicing knots can only go so far!
David Roy
winter and around here... by six thirty, it's pitch black. i'm an artist, so
i carry a journal of sketches (about the same weight as a book) and a small
digital AM/FM radio to get the latest Dallas Stars hockey scores...
I know it's ridiculous to spend hours and money shaving off weight just to
throw these "creature comforts" in the side pocket... but hey... isn't that
what we were making room for in the first place?!
happy hiking!
David Roy
John Holladay
as you wish as long as you don't adversely effect someone else's
pursuit of happiness.
Can you just imagine how much better the world would be if that simple
rule was followed by everyone? And how much less crap would be on
this newsgroup.
But Dallas Stars, bet you got one of those silly flag on your car.
Got one on your pack :)
JNH (Plano, Tx)
Forrest
Winter- Hide and Seek!
Watch your spit freeze in mid air!
See how long you can stay outside naked!
--
Forrest
http://www.OutdoorREVIEW.com
for...@flyfishingreview.com
Outdoorreview.com
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
David Roy
John Holladay wrote:
--
_____________________________________________________
we have not inherited the earth from our ancestors...
we are borrowing it from our children.
______________________>^..^<_________________________
David W. Roy
http://www.geocities.com/basecampaustin
David Roy
Michael Elliott wrote:
> In article <81cgmi$mnh$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>, for...@flyfishingreview.com
> says...
> > Summer- Hide and Seek! Tag! Swim, read, fish.
> >
> > Winter- Hide and Seek!
>
> Oh -- I meant if you were alone. It's pretty easy to find things to do
> when someone else is along. Conversation, for starters.
>
> >
> > Watch your spit freeze in mid air!
>
> Hm. Southern California below 7,000 ft . . . it's pretty much gonna hit
> the ground wet. Place is pretty arid, too: not a lot of swimming and
> fishing to be had hereabouts late in the season.
>
> > See how long you can stay outside naked!
>
> Oh - I meant if you were alone.
Michael Elliott
SHouse61
>Oh - I meant if you were alone.
>
>
>
Read a book... watch the winter wildlife... enjoy the peace and quiet...
donut
half in about an hour or so after dark, watch the fire, and then pass
out to about midnight. Then it's usually time to wake up, take a whiz,
check out the sky for meteorites, and drink the other half. Every other
trip I go with my AA buddies; we smoke cigarettes and eat lots of
chocolate cake. Hard on a guy!
Kerry L. Thalmann
> So with much research and many dollars, my pack list is refined and
> refined, and the total weight tends in a downward direction. However,
> when it is time to pack, I always add an item that does not appear on the
> pack list: a book to read, a thing that can add 6 to 12 ounces of weight
> to my pack. That, and a little Walkman-type cassette player (6oz with
> single lithium AA battery) with some inspirational tapes (2 oz /
> cassette).
I'd leave the cassette player at home. Batteries are heavy and have a
short life. Besides, it interferes with the natural sounds, which are
as much a part of the wilderness experience as the natural sights. The
big difference is that some of the most interesting sounds occur after
dark.
> The thought of hiking without these items occurs. I would save weight.
> But . . . but . . . what would I DO in camp, do for all those hours
> between, say, dinner and beddy-bye time without them to occupy myself?
> What do YOU do in camp for recreation?
Well, I usually end up photographing until at least 20 minutes after
sunset (that's often when the best colors come out). By the time I pack
up the camera gear and hike back to camp, it's getting good and dark.
Time to cook dinner. After I eat and do the dish (I only take one),
it's a good hour and a half after dark, but still too early to go to
sleep.
This is when I read. Paprebacks aren't too heavy, and they don't
require batteries. I always try to pick a book approriate to my
location. I read Bill Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods" on a trip up the
Hoh to the Blue Galcier last summer. Well, it isn't set in the same
part of the country, but it was a long walk in the woods - through the
Hoh rainforest - and Bryson is always good for a laugh (laughing out
loud alone in your tent at night can draw stares the next morning from
those camped within earshot, but who cares). On a trip to Grand Gulch
last month, I read Tony Hillerman's "A Thief of Time".
I also rise a good hour and a half before sunrise, so I can hike off and
set up my camera in time for sunrise shooting. So, basically, I spend
every last second of daylight either photographing, hiking or
exploring. I save dinner and camp chores for after dark, and then read
for an hour or two. I still end up getting more sleep than I do at
home, but still, only about eight hours. Seems about right to rest my
weary bones after a full day of hiking.
BTW, I almost always hike solo, and have yet to be bored with the
company.
Kerry
--
Kerry L. Thalmann Large Format Images of Nature
A Few of My Images Online at: http://www.thalmann.com/
Doug Armknecht
>
>Write in my journal.
>
>Relax.
>
>Eat and drink.
>
>HOMEBREW NAKED!
I can understand the first three, but the last one.. ?? I guess you
could call it homebrewing since you might consider the outdoors your home.
And the naked thing, well, we've been over this before. But it doesn't
sound very lightweight or convenient to me. I think the fellow who
mentioned the quart of vodka may have had a better idea.
--
Doug Armknecht, dha...@cis.ksu.edu
Yellowstone TRs: http://www.cis.ksu.edu/~dha5446/hiking/yellowstone
Arrakis
tube or your wet bar to drink,smoke,munch,piss,and pass out.Watch the
static on predawn TV,and it resembles meteorites.
* Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet's Discussion Network *
The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet - Free!
Arrakis
lightweight ounce of the best Northern Lights #5 sinsemilla.Never get
bored,just get the munchies and cottonmouth a lot.Dunno why.
Michael Elliott
pe...@bitman.uottawa.ca.DELETE.TO.EMAIL.ME says...
> In article <MPG.12a2f0e52...@news.nctimes.net>,> I arrive, set things up, eat, do a ritualistic, naked fertility dance
> then go to sleep.
>
> Doesn't everybody????
>
Damn. Knew I was overlooking something!
John S. Watson
>>
>>Oh - I meant if you were alone.
>
>Read a book... watch the winter wildlife... enjoy the peace and quiet...
Also ...
Gaze at the stars and other celestial objects ...
practise constellation identification.
Gaze at the campfire.
Write in my journal.
Relax.
Eat and drink.
John Watson
wat...@george.arc.nasa.gov
http://george.arc.nasa.gov/~watson
HOMEBREW NAKED!
Jerry L. Golden
<au...@altavistaaudio.com> Wrote:
>Hi All,
>
>So with much research and many dollars, my pack list is refined and
>refined, and the total weight tends in a downward direction. However,
>when it is time to pack, I always add an item that does not appear on the
>pack list: a book to read, a thing that can add 6 to 12 ounces of weight
>to my pack. That, and a little Walkman-type cassette player (6oz with
>single lithium AA battery) with some inspirational tapes (2 oz /
>cassette).
>
>The thought of hiking without these items occurs. I would save weight.
>But . . . but . . . what would I DO in camp, do for all those hours
>between, say, dinner and beddy-bye time without them to occupy myself?
>
>I am not without resources. I meditate, which is weight-free. I putter
>about camp, tidying and, well, puttering. I snap a few shots with my
>camera. I look about, I listen, I smile. But I still want something to
>do, especially after dark.
>
>What do YOU do in camp for recreation?
I would rather frown on the Walkman, but then, we've taken the
shortwave & a spool of wire for the ant.jack. But good books are worth
the weight. Unfortunately I've been known to totally ignore my
partners for 3 beautiful days while I've power-read something that
might have been a little too good for the circumstances.
Mostly though, by the time we're done with setup / wood / fire /
cook / cleanup / maintaince then all we have time left for is a few
hours of BSing around the fire. It seems about right, and if we turn
in early it just means our next day starts at dawn.
We're also getting into our "do-nothing" trips where we'll move like
hell for the first day and then just stay in one spot for 3-4 days.
Sort of like decompression ; sometimes it's real nice to do nothing
for a few days. Then we'll get bored and start exploring, or taking
the canoe over 18 miles just to see what's over there. Sometimes at
night just for the fun of it. Happiness is covering ground.
Watch the clouds, the critters, the rain, the trees, the bugs, the
moon, the meteors, the stars, the violet heart of the coals. Follow a
stream, a deer path, your train of though, your partners train of
thought. Listen to the wind, the water, the birds, the frogs, the damn
bugs, your droning partner. For hours. Absorb it.
The best entertainment doesn't have to be packed in with you.
JLG
Pete Hickey
>What do YOU do in camp for recreation?
I arrive, set things up, eat, do a ritualistic, naked fertility dance
then go to sleep.
Doesn't everybody????
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grohl
One thing I have learned to enjoy is writing in my journal after all
of the chores have been done. Through the years I have found that I
am a pretty sorry picture-taker, plus dealing with batteries, film,
and the possibility of a wet camera made me leave it in the car. Some
of my best memories and feelings are recorded in those little 30 page
Mead notebooks. I'm an equally lousy artist, but I do my best to
sketch out my campsite, a neighbooring peak, or a good fishing spot I
have found. If you haven't tried it before, take time to really
record your feelings and frustrations after a long day on the trail.
It's very therapeutic and makes for great memories.
Just my 2 cents.
Grohl
rick++
> A quart of vodka in a plastic bottle weighs about 3 lbs. I can drink
> half in about an hour or so after dark
Depends on how hard of a hike you plan he following day. Alcohol
dehydration can make a high altitude hike seem much more strenuous.
donut
>
> A quart of vodka in a plastic bottle weighs about 3 lbs. I can drink
> out to about midnight. Then it's usually time to wake up, take a whiz,
> check out the sky for meteorites, and drink the other half. Every other trip I go with my AA buddies; we smoke cigarettes and eat lots of
> chocolate cake. Hard on a guy!
This was intended to be a half-humorous spoof on camptechies and
half-serious comment on the diversity of folks who hit the trail for
a bit of self-therapy. Guess that was just in my head.
This kind of behavior is only suitable if you are planning on loafing
around camp for a few days, if ever. It could be downright dangerous at
altitude or in the desert!
Lloyd Bowles
"grohl" <gr...@flash.net> wrote in message
news:OQU6OMDcn=EO+IwJJ7N...@4ax.com...
> Through the years I have found that I
> am a pretty sorry picture-taker, plus dealing with batteries, film,
> and the possibility of a wet camera made me leave it in the car.
I'm a lousy picture taker too. So I click the shutter a lot & rely on
chance to get good photos.
--
Lloyd Bowles
The Mad Canoeist
"Keep the open side up!"
http://www.madcanoeist.4ever.cc
donut
drenched in saliva, and in various stages of intoxication and madness.
I've seen them myself out of the corner of my eye, crashing thru the
brush in the twilight hours. But when I turn my head they are gone,
with just the faintest sound of "om, money, pard-me, ohm..." in the
air. But I don't dare leave my camp to follow, having learned thru hard
experience that I'm way too drunk to find my way back. Of course my
pictures never come out, and I can't read the writing in my journal
when I check to see if it really happened in the morning. I'm sure the
wildlife can easily see me, but all I usually see is the skunk raiding
my trash when I get up in the middle of the night.(Yes, skunks do laugh
when they raise their tails)
Well, gotta go now. I'm packing for another adventure in the boonies!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Michael Elliott wrote:
<snip>
> But . . . but . . . what would I DO in camp, do for all those hours
> between, say, dinner and beddy-bye time without them to occupy myself?
>
> I am not without resources. I meditate, which is weight-free. I putter
> about camp, tidying and, well, puttering. I snap a few shots with my
> camera. I look about, I listen, I smile. But I still want something to
> do, especially after dark.
>
> What do YOU do in camp for recreation?
>
juanito
Abbey, Gretel Erhlich, Barry Lopez, John McPhee, et al. I find that
whatever I'm reading becomes associated with the experience, so that
when I go back and reread the book, it's enriched with the memories of
the trip. I usually pick a book well in advance of the trip, read a
bit to make sure it's what i want, then put it aside until the trip
I stay away from the weird or heavy stuff, like Stephen King, because,
alone in the mtns or desert, i don't need to get spooked!
>
>Michael Elliott <au...@altavistaaudio.com> wrote >
>> What do YOU do in camp for recreation?
>
>Read
>Listen to music
>Meditate ("formally" or informally)
>Whittle (carve) objects from wood
>Read
>Perform Kata
>Sing
>Prepare arguably the finest backcountry food in the SE U.S.
>Read
>Telekinetically influence cloud formations
>Maintain gear
>Fantasize
>Enjoy being alive and able to be there
>
>Fred Cerutti
>
>
>
>
Mota, Marcos E.
I just write postcards and letters and think. Stare at the sky and
kisten to the critters.
Michael Elliott wrote:
>
> Hi All,
>
> So with much research and many dollars, my pack list is refined and
> refined, and the total weight tends in a downward direction. However,
> when it is time to pack, I always add an item that does not appear on the
> pack list: a book to read, a thing that can add 6 to 12 ounces of weight
> to my pack. That, and a little Walkman-type cassette player (6oz with
> single lithium AA battery) with some inspirational tapes (2 oz /
> cassette).
>
> The thought of hiking without these items occurs. I would save weight.
> But . . . but . . . what would I DO in camp, do for all those hours
> between, say, dinner and beddy-bye time without them to occupy myself?
>
> I am not without resources. I meditate, which is weight-free. I putter
> about camp, tidying and, well, puttering. I snap a few shots with my
> camera. I look about, I listen, I smile. But I still want something to
> do, especially after dark.
>
> What do YOU do in camp for recreation?
>