From the article: What They Don't Tell You About Camping
Remember your first camping trip? You made a checklist, tested your gear, filled the gas tank, mapped your route, and you had everything in order. Then you got to the campground. Uh, oh! What didn't they tell you? It doesn't matter if you're a beginner or a veteran camper, something will come up when you least expect it. What surprises have you met when camping?
I wish I knew
- I wish I knew that the KOA in the Smokeys is like trying to pitch a tent on 1 inch of soil over solid rock. Broke more tent stakes than I care to count and even though we had plenty of extras we had to go buy more. It didn't matter where we moved the tent to. We finally quit after getting 2 out of 3 stakes in (at the most) on each tent. When we went to leave, the stakes we were able to force in, didn't want to come back out afterwards. It was me and a bunch of girl scouts and I wanted to strangle the KOA staff. Then the neighbors left out (food) inviting a bear to our campsite. They probably just forget after all the alcohol they consumed. You can't prepare for bad neighbors, but you can make sure you have good strong stakes....and plenty of them.
- —Guest GS Scout Mom
What they didn't tell you about camping!
- After consistent encouraging and cajoling I finally convinced my friends to join me on a local camping trip. Having prepared, checked and double checked I proudly enjoyed their reserved joining on this excursion. I paraded about, unpacking, setting up the tents, the cooking areas, unloading the firewood while they set up the picnic tables, cooking utensils, coolers and food supplies. I was feeling pretty confident if not a bit cocky at displaying such profound outdoor skills when dinnertime began to arrive. Skillfully setting up the firepit, and gracefully offering to cook this meal, food ready for roasting over the fire, stomachs growling in anticipation, suddenly a shocking discovery NO MATCHES! I searched, looked, hunted and panicked- no fire starting devices anywhere among the crew! A frustated visit to the camground office revealed they had firewood but no lighting devices! As sheer famine was approaching, a kind observant fellow camper graciously donated a box of matches!
- —Guest naturelove
Viki
- Generally, what nice people you meet. I've enjoyed camping for a long time! Mainly tent. Although I am confused over a few rude sorts we dealt with last weekend. Who brings a flat screen TV, generators, amps, speakers and stereos to a rustic campground?
- —Guest Viki
That It Makes You Whole!
- I think that people disconnected from nature don't do very well and they don't even know what parts of themselves they're missing. The scientists are studying the distraction phenomenon now: how we get so fragmented with all of these devices and how time spent outdoors puts us back together again. So healing!
- —madcampersuz
Camping suprises
- Well first I agree camping is addictive. On one quite memorable trip at Hermit island Maine, my recently befriended new boyfriend was trying to impress me by going camping with his outdoorsy niece and her husband and son. Little did I know he had never been camping before! Well I thought nothing of sleeping on an air matress on the floor of the tent he was having a terrible time with it. Then it started to pour. I mean pour for two days straight. Well, needless to say, I saw another side of him I never knew existed. We had a small dome tent and didn't waterproof it before leaving, foolish mistake, and we didn't bring enough extra tarps either. I always do now, one for under the tent, one for the inside floor area and one or two for outside just in case. Well, during one of the very heavy nights that seemed to last forever, our air mattress was floating literally in the bottom of the tent. The next night, it was slowly losing air and getting more and more deflated. Finally the sun broke through.
- —Guest Naturelove
Camping is addictive
- My husband's brother and wife (experienced campers) went with us to a local campground the first time so we learned the easy way! Neither of us had camped (except army and college) when we bought our used camper. What we were not told is: how addictive camping is! We're always planning to go somewhere. One of our most memorable trips was in 2004 when we followed the Lewis and Clark Trail from St. Louis to the Oregon Coast. Try it! At the first Interprative Center get a book by Barbara Fifer outlining the trail. Big Help. Can't wait for next trip. Duane and Pat in North Carolina.
- —Guest Goofy235
One Big Bear
- The first time I ever went camping, I was 13. All of the relatives went. We all put our sleeping bags out on the ground to go to sleep. Next thing we heard was someone yelling "There's a bear!" We crammed six of us sideways into a station wagon to sleep. In the middle of the night, the car shook and my cousin sleeping next to that window sat up to look out. The bear was looking in the back window of the car. My dear cousin (who passed away the next year at the age of 14) jumped from the spot next to the window to the front seat in one leap. I still smile when I remember that trip. Must not have scared me too bad. I have camped nearly every summer since then. Almost 40 years and I still love every minute of it.
- —Guest Char
Dont Forget Stuff
- I took a solo boundary waters trip one time and was making pancakes only to find out I forgot the spatula, couldn't find a fork either. All of my silverware was still on the kitchen table when I got home. Surprisingly scrambled pancakes with little pieces of bark in them don't taste very bad at all.
- —Guest joe
Turn It On
- We were excited when we were able to start camping earlier in the year with our new hard side camper. It got cold that first night and we could not figure out what was wrong with the heater. It would not start and it was cold and dark - so we snuggled up in our beds with extra covers over the kids until morning. Then we checked everything and it still would not light - it helps if you turn on the gas at the bottle. The furnace worked fine when it had a fuel source. We had eaten on the way and arrived late at the campsite. We just setup and put the kids to bed. That checklist really does come in handy.
- —Guest Rosiemom