4 Things to Do During Camping ‘Downtime’

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

Let’s face it: even on your most active day of camping – fishing, hiking, boating, building fires – there’s still going to be some downtime. After all, even the U.S. Marines enjoy a certain amount of free time every day. If your day has been active enough, you might only want to spend your downtime eating and resting, but if you have a little bit of reserve energy, you might just feel a little bored. Here’s how you can cure that boredom out on the campsite.

1. Constellation spotting – Constellation guide books are easy to buy. If you’ve never really done any serious stargazing, you should feel free to take a gander up at the stars and try to identify as many constellations as possible. If you’re exhausted from activities all day, you can even do this on your back. Just be careful that you don’t fall asleep outdoors! Stars are clearer out in the country, where there’s less light interference here on Earth to drown them out.
2. Roasting marshmallows – This is perhaps the hallmark camping activity. Roasting marshmallows doesn’t take a lot: a fire, a stick, a marshmallow, and of course some graham crackers and chocolate bars to go with it. You can even make S’mores for everyone else if they’re too tired to do anything, seeing if you can get your marshmallow at just the right temperature.
3. Talk – The campfire is one of the greatest places to have a conversation. Not in it, of course, but around it as everyone gathers. There is a certain psychiatrist’s-office effect in looking at the fire and not directly at anyone else: after all, it might be dark anyway. Talking around the campfire is usually done with friends, so the conversations tend to get a little deeper than smalltalk. Of course, there is nothing more engrossing than a good conversation, and you can do it while sitting in a chair under a blanket.
4. Play cards – A flat surface and some willing participants are all you need for this easy activity. Oh, and a deck of cards, of course. A quick game of poker can be great for just before bedtime, and nighttime means that it will be harder for others to see your cards.

The spirit of “downtime” usually means that people aren’t exactly willing to volunteer for a lot of exercise-heavy activities. But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy yourself while sitting down or even lying down.

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The Hiker’s Guide to Finding a Good View of the Stars

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009

If you’re not just hiking, but camping, then at some point, you’re going to find yourself looking up at a dark night sky. That is, if you can even get out of the wilderness for a little bit to find a good view of the stars. If you’re an astronomy nut and want to bring your telescope out to a location far away from the city so you can finally get a great, unobstructed view of all the stars up there, you’re not alone. But you’ll need a few tips to help you avoid some of those trees that might be hiding a few constellations.

Remember that preparation is the key. If you’re hiking in the woods and decide to come back to your camp area where there isn’t a great view of the night sky, you probably didn’t do a whole lot of preparing. Instead, take a few hiking trips where you enjoy hiking, and do this during the daytime. Try to find a view that exposes a lot of the sky: take a look around the horizon and imagine that it’s night time. If you notice a lot of trees blocking the views around the sky, just make a note of that location and see if you can find something better.

Next, remember that it’s not a good idea to go exploring at night. If you want a good view of the stars at night, it should be where your camp site is, or at least somewhere where you can easily navigate to and from. Do all of your exploring in the day time, and don’t venture too far off the beaten path.

If you live in the city during the week and can’t do any exploring, then check out web sites that show you the positions of the stars given your time of the year and location. This will help you to identify the stars you do see when you’re looking at a more clear sky; you’ll also find this even helps you navigate – though you shouldn’t need the stars to navigate while hiking!

Photo Credits: VinceHuang

The Beginner’s Guide to Stargazing

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

Part of the fun of camping, especially for the city slickers among us, is getting away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Living near the bright lights of a major urban area also have one drawback – the light from the city drowns out your ability to see stars at night. This is an unacceptable situation for the stargazing nut, but if you’ve never been much of an amateur astronomer, you can get started on your next camping trip. Here’s a quick guide for getting your feet wet.

Use Binoculars, Not a Telescope

There’s no sense in buying a $600 telescope if you can’t even identify the North Star. Bring along binoculars for your stargazing. You won’t exactly be able to see the footprints on the moon, but you will get a better view of the night sky, including stars behind brighter stars that the naked eye can’t quite make out. Buying a telescope before you can identify various points in the sky will probably be a frustrating experience.

Identify the Easy Constellations First

It will help to bring a skymap that shows where the constellations are at a given time in the Earth’s orbit (for example, summer). Once you do this, however, try to start with the constellations that are the easiest to find. In the Northern Hemisphere’s summer, you won’t have much trouble identifying Ursa Major (including the Big Dipper), the North Star, and the Summer Triangle. For example, if you lay flat at night with your feet facing south, you shouldn’t have much trouble seeing the Summer Triangle in the left side of your view. Directly above you will be the constellation Hercules.

Finding constellations isn’t as hard as you think, it just takes a little persistence and a little knowledge of the sky. Try to study up a little bit before heading out camping this summer.

Once you know where a few constellations are, you’ll have reference points to discover all sorts of other constellations while camping in the summer. If nothing else, knowing some of the constellations and being able to star gaze will give you something to tell your kids about later in life.

Photo Credits: xamad

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Choosing Your Campsite

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009

So you’ve just decided to going camping with your family, but wait, where is the best spot to set up camp? A properly picked campsite can make your family outing much more enjoyable and perhaps you will find a great spot that will become a traditional spot where your family camps every year. So how do you find that camp spot? This article will provide you with a few tips to find that elusive campsite.

1) Ask.

This is such simple advice that it’s often overlooked, but a good recommendation from other longtime campers could be the easiest way to find a great spot. If you’re camping in a park make sure you ask any professional questions like “What spot do you think would be good for my family?” or “What places have you recommended to other families before?” It’s also worth noting that internet forums and books are great tools for researching and making a decision.

2) Remember Your Needs.

This tip may not directly help you choose a new campsite, but it will help to narrow down your list. It’s very important that you consider any needs that your family has and choose your campsite accordingly. If it’s important that you can look up and see the constellations, try to choose a spot where there aren’t as many trees or obstructions in your way. Essentially you’re a choosing a campsite based on the interests of your family or group. This will make locating and traversing to your daily activities much easier. Also consider any medical needs, you may want to camp closer to outside assistance of any friend/family has a serious medical condition.

3) Watch The Forecast.

The weather may not always be a factor, but you should also pay attention to the forecast when choosing your campsite. If it’s going to rain, a campsite under the shelter of trees would be preferred to a wide open field. It’s also important to note that during the winter seasons the weather can pose dangerous to you and your family. If the forecast predicts large amounts of snow, it’s important that you and your family remain close to outside assistance in case of an emergency.

Choosing your campsite can prove to be a daunting task, but it becomes much easy when you’re able to eliminate a few of your options. Just remember when choosing to pay special attention to the needs of the people you’re camping with, and extraneous factors such as the weather and park conditions.

Photo Credits: species_snob

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