Camplore

Nothing says rest like a place to sit after a long hike. Minimalists may prefer a small pad on the ground, but when it’s raining and a little muddy, I like my seat out of the water. As much camping as we do at state parks, there’s usually a concrete picnic table and benches close by, but a folding chair of some sort is still needed for the campfire area. A folding captain’s chair works for us in camp, but the backpacker needs a lightweight, sturdy portable folding chair.
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I have known some pretty good writers, and great songwriters, too. Oh, no one you’ve heard of, but friends who could write songs to make you sob around the campfire, and they were great. Who could stay dry-eyed through Poet’s poem about campers, or Bili’s Dragon Song or For Those Who Lead? Well, here it is, my humble contribution, just be glad you don’t have to hear me sing it.
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It’s fairly agreed upon that almost everything tastes better when it’s cooked outside. A wood-burning fire’s coals are the classic, but eventually campground areas and vegetation are negatively affected, so these days you have to bring your own wood to established campgrounds. A campfire burning directly on the ground can have long-lasting impact to the soil and microorganisms for a good distance around the fire. All the more reason to use only established campfire rings in camp, whether you’re burning wood or using charcoal.

A camp stove or backpacking stove is the best alternative, though, for lighter impact as well as efficiency.
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Here’s a classic moved to the campfire. Our Boy Scout troop usually prepares a cake mix as directed on the box, then pours it over a couple of cans of pie filling, which is pretty impressive. Back in my young camping days, we skipped adding the eggs, oil, water to the mix, just sliced up a stick of butter and topped the dry mix. Here you have it - it’s still delicious (just make sure you’ve included the long hike to work a little of it off!).

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We tried a new dutch oven recipe this weekend, and it met with approval all around. This was prepared for adults - I am not certain how well it would go over with youngsters, as it has green chiles in it.
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You can find quality dehydrated food and meals for backpacking at most sporting goods stores, some grocery stores, and online. This article is a review of specific meals by certain brands, and only an indicator of whether people liked it or not. I will try to give an idea of the age of the reviewer and any comments they may have about the product.
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I just can’t stand it.

I’ve been studying tents to buy to replace the too-small 2-man tent, and I am truly torn between the REI Half-Dome and the REI Taj. Man, this is a tough decision. All things considered, they’re both great tents. Now it’s just a matter of deciding which size will be the most use to us.

Then there’s the backpack issue. I threw away my bright yellow and blue external frame backpack from my youth about 6 years ago. I almost wish I hadn’t. Not that it was in good enough shape to use again, I’m just sentimental (or as my teen says, “semi-mental”) about it now.
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Well, we did it - finally bought a new tent. Of course, it’s replacing the 15-year old one that has a habit of trying to drown my feet. And we tried out the new REI Half Dome tent. I say “we” meaning my son and his camping buddy tried it out. I got his old one, an REI Flyte, complete with footprint and odd tent stakes. It’s a great tent for one person, but I can’t imagine squeezing two adults into it.
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Stargazing in southeastern New Mexico mountains - it’s a great place to enjoy the night sky. The Sacramento Peak Solar Observatory is in Sunspot, NM, and The Southwest Institute for Space Research, founded by Alan Hale, the co-discoverer of Comet Hale-Bopp, is in Otero County.
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Girl Scout camp is a magical place. The opportunity to try new things, learn self-reliance, build lifelong friendships, and share all these things with a group of other girls was a valuable part of my growing-up years.

One of the things that made camp so special was we were isolated from the rest of the world. The only vehicles on the property were driven by the handyman or camp director. The area that surrounded my camp was national forest, and the drive to the camp property was about four miles up a dirt road to the top of the canyon. With the exception of true family emergencies, phone calls were not allowed. And to top it all off, the adults in positions of responsibility were known by names like Robin, Sailor, Freud and Woody.
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