Things won’t always go right
Well, I have been trying to decide what to write about next for this blog. And I finally settled. I decided to tell you about a trip that kinda went crazy once. I have been camping for many years! I usually went with my husband at the time and my kids. However, divorced now, I decided to take my friend from New York City on a backpacking trip in the Catskills. I told him the things he needed to order online. He bought most items and he was gonna borrow a few things from me and my son (thermarest and backpack). I drove to NYC. My backpack was already packed with the essentials for hiking in, camping one night, hiking the next day, and then heading back to NYC. No biggie. An easy trip. Well…. Let me tell you- NOPE.
We were suppose to leave NYC first thing in the morning, but he takes a long time to get ready, so…. We were a bit delayed getting ready to leave. I thought I picked a relatively short hike in – a couple miles), our bags were packed, so I didn’t worry to much when we hit the road late. That said, the drive was a bit longer than anticipated. He had to stop for a sandwich, which again wasn’t a big deal- even though I had packed food and a stove to cook dinner once we arrived at the site.
Needless to say, I think it was about 4pm when we finally parked the car and started the hike into a remote (dispersed), yet, what I was thought to believe, an established area to set up camp for the night and I thought it was about 3 miles. I can’t remember where I got this information from but it definitely said 3 miles in there would be a stream and an area to set-up camp. WELL… about ½ mile in, my hiking buddy said, shoot his forgot his water canteen in car. REALLY??? I sat and waited while he went back to car and grabbed his water and I waited with packs.
Then, when he returned, we resumed hiking. Beautiful views all around us. It was amazing. Without a doubt some of the best views. He won’t admit it, but… he was lagging behind me, tired cause he packed too much and his pack was heavy.
The sun was setting and we were still hiking. Not good… the sun went down and we were still hiking. We hit mile 4 and a plateau. We decided to go a few more minutes and see. We actually ended upon a section where we had to go down a ladder that was so steep. Needless to say, we backtracked and settled into an area on the plateau where we set-up camp, ate and turned in for the night. Neither of us really feeling in a great mood. The next morning was well worth it!!! Eating breakfast on a ledge overlooking the catskills. Couldn’t be better. WELL…. As we were packing up camp, a gentleman comes onto the plateau letting us know that we illegally camped cause we were at too high elevation. He was nice about but pointed out our mistake. Something I hadn’t encountered before. Live and learn by your mistakes- we all make them.
We hiked out mid-day, happy with our views and that we were going downhill. However this time the downhill started to hurt my knees because of the steepest. Playing catcher in softball in highschool didn’t help.
Overall—lessons learned for me was that even though I had been hiking for 20 years at least, you really need to be prepared!! And quadruple check your route, and you get lost, stay on a path, wait for daylight and retrace. We’d both do it again in a second. At least we had all our gear.
Find all your gear needs here at Fortheoutdoorenthusiast.com and my previous blog provides a list of gear you should have and not forget in the car.
Email me at Fortheoutdoorenthusiast@gmail.com if you have questions.
- Published in Uncategorized
What gear do I need?
So I recently met a man who said he loves to camp/hike, however he went on a recent trip with his family and he was very unprepared. His family brought a lot of the gear so that was helpful, however he felt very underprepared and thought if he had a good checklist to look at before going, he would make sure he had all of the right gear.
Now of course, there is a huge variety in what people might be trying to do. Day Hikes, Car or Organized Campsite camping with day hikes, and dispersed camping/backpacking. What you should have for each of these differs of course. Also, it is important to think about how long you will be on each trip so you can decide if comfort is most important, or lightweight is most important. How long you will be away from a food source is important to consider if you are backpacking. While it is nice to think you could catch some fish for dinner- I have been caught before in situations where we were counting on fish for a meal and that didn’t happen. I hope it is obvious you should also really consider the weather and plan for it. If your hiking in mountains, weather can change drastically. If your hiking in a humid area, everything will have dew on it and need to dry out before worn/used.
Day Hike:
- Water
- Single day light backpack or fanny pack
- Food for the day (granola bars, oranges, trail mix)
- Sun protection
- Good shoes and appropriate cloths.
- First aid kit
- Trekking poles if you need them
Car Camping: (If you want to be comfortable and not feel like you are “roughing” it).
- Water
- Tent
- Sleeping bag (note the temperature rating of the bag for the weather you expect, i.e. -20C, or 20C)
- Mat to go under your bag so you don’t feel all the twigs and rocks
- First aid kit
- Grill if you choose. Else have to cook on fire
- Matches/lighter
- Cooking gear- utensils and pans/pots
- Headlamp/Light source
- Toiletries– depending on whether camp site has toilets/showers, etc.
- Hammock for relaxation
- Chairs– optional
Backpacking: This might seem like a lot, but hopefully there is more than 1 person going out, best to hike in pairs at least, and load can be shared by many.
- Water
- Large overnight pack
- Tent is optional based on your preference. I carry one cause I like to feel some protection from bugs and critters- despite the extra weight
- Sleeping bag
- First Aid kit
- Mat is optional again, depends on length of trip
- Matches/lighter
- Rope to hang food and such in tree away from bears
- Cooking gear – utensils and pans/pots – utensil could include knife.
- Trekking poles if you need them to help with weight and terrain while hiking in and out. (see above)
- Water purification kit, if camping near stream or creek for water supply
- Stove
- Headlamp
- Toiletries (soap, TP, shampoo- use eco-friendly save our rivers).
- Poncho– optional
- Women’s bathroom assistance– optional.
Extras- If you plan on fishing, bring that gear. If you aren’t going to be near a fresh water supply try to bring plenty of water to drink and to rinse your body off. My friend from Hawaii said fresh water is critical after a swim in ocean! If it ends up pouring rain- bring a deck of cards or good book. DON’T bring your phone/electronics. This is a time to get away.
- Published in Uncategorized
Grand Opening
I am so excited to announce to launch of my new online business. For The Outdoor Enthusiast has been a dream of mine for quite sometime now. I grew up in Michigan and my parents had two homes since before I was born. One in the city (greater Detroit area) and one in Norther Michigan (“the cottage”). Many families in Michigan have two homes like this. As such, we never did much camping because we had a second home where the family would go on weekends and in the summer to get away. I recall seeing the campground on the other side of the lake. Needless to say, I graduated highschool and started at Michigan State.
The summer of 1994 I took an intern position in the Washington DC area and with boyfriend in tote, took off for the summer. I can’t recall why, but we started camping all over the area. A lot of time in the Smoky Mtns. We camped while we rafted the Gauley River. I knew after that summer, I was hooked on everything outdoors.
Returning back to East Lansing for my senior year, I made the conscious effort to apply to graduate schools that would get me to where I could spend more time in the woods. I ended up in Northern California at UC Davis. The best move I could have made. The amount of time I spent in the woods camping, hiking and fishing was just amazing. Mostly due to the fact I was dating, and eventually marrying, Mr. Outdoors. I was lucky that he drug me around with him. In the future I will share some of our amazing hikes and stories.
Fast forward…. All of a sudden we are in Northern Michigan, and no, not the same as when I was growing up. Growing up I use to think of my parents Lakehouse/Cottage as Northern Michigan. But in reality it wasn’t even close. The lakehouse/cottage was about 3 hours north of Detroit, still in the lower peninsula. Now I moved to the Upper Peninsula-which is the real Northern Michigan. Now I was about 10 hours from Detroit and essentially in the middle of lake superior. A wonderful town called Houghton. We had kids and 32 acres, so we mostly walked around the property, but not a ton of hiking/camping.
In 2011 we moved to Colorado and the kids were old enough we were back out in the wilderness. The entire family enjoyed time away from the city to see the stars and breath the fresh mountain air. A ton of camping, hiking and fishing again. I’m so excited to share these stories and more in future blogs.
During this time, both my husband and I were University Professors, balancing the Research, Service and Teaching workload with our desire for work/life balance.
Fast forward again…. After a series of events, including moving to Massachusetts, the kids graduated from highschool and went to college, I divorced and moved to Memphis, TN. I am no longer a professor and so this was the perfect time for me to start “For The Outdoor Enthusiast”! I finally get to share with you all my trips and experiences, all the while getting you the right equipment so that your camping experience can be as great as mine has been. I want you to feel like that night under the stars is way better than any spa day followed by a dingy hotel stay. If you have the right gear, camping can be better than a luxury hotel.
Whether your going to camp out of the of your car, or load up the backpack and hike 10 miles into the woods, then set-up shop, we have the gear you will need. No matter what, start with a good tent that will keep you dry, and enjoy the peace of the outdoors.
- Published in Why camp