how to camp

Campsite.

How to select, organize and maintain a campsite.

             In most places you are looking to follow regulations by selecting a pre-determined campsite that is both well used and well-traveled. If not however, you are looking for a somewhat flat area in which you can limit your overall impact on the environment. With that, you want to concentrate and limit your impact as much as possible while camping so avoid alpine camping and place tents on dirt and grass instead of larger vegetation as crushing could potentially kill it. Also avoid camping on rocks or loose ground / foliage as you cannot properly secure your shelter and gear. Considering all these environmental impacts choose a location that is comfortable and with a nice view whenever possible. It benefits everyone to put effort to prepare and locate rewarding campsites at the end of long tiring days.

For organization, look for an area that is large enough to fit all your necessary structures and people including separate sleeping, cooking, and bear barrel locations. Most pre-determined sites will have obvious distinctions between these sections (i.e. a fire ring or picnic table as a cook area). Beyond this, keep tents close together and avoid making shapes with empty interiors like circles and squares as animal caught in the middle could find themselves feeling trapped and potentially run through a tent to escape. With this, make sure you are using these areas for their specific purposes (i.e don’t walk around camp snacking) as it helps to reduce impact and protect the natural environment.

To maintain the campsite, make sure you really focus on sticking to those three separate impact areas as mentioned above, even in pre-determined well trafficked sites. Practice LNT principles and always try to leave the site in a better condition than you found it.

Cooking tarps / area.

             Many campsites will have a predetermined food area identified by a fire pit, lean-to or picnic table of some kind. You can use these areas in combination with a tarp to create a sheltered environment for a meal in case of inclement unexpected weather. Even in permanent structures like lean-to’s, the traditional triangle method should be used as to not promote the association of structures with food.  Tarps should be large enough to comfortably fit the amount of people in the group with the addition of cooking appliances (stoves, pan’s, prep area etc.). If there is not pre-determined spot, you may set one up in a large enough clearing. If creating your own, make sure to follow all the necessary camping and cooking guidelines and regulations in the area especially those focused on food waste and fire. Make sure to keep all food related activities concentrated in this area to minimize our overall impact on the environment. Look for crumbs and other food waste left behind before moving on from the campsite.

         Alternatively, you could cook in a different location to where you are sleeping depending on water availability or even just a nice view you would like to take advantage of. In these cases, it is even more important to dispose of food waste properly as to not impact the environment or suggest the continued use of the area for other people.

Location, Dangers, inconveniences, desirable attributes of campsites.

             First and foremost, when locating a campsite, you should be following regulations and attempting to decide on a pre-determined site that fits within your itinerary. If not, you want to be camping in a location that is mostly flat with firm soil that is not ridden with small and fragile plant life (i.e. don’t camp in the alpine zone). Look for a spot at least 200ft from the trail to avoid having a concentrated impact and make sure it’s close enough to a water source that cooking / cleaning won’t be an increased effort after a long day.

             For dangers consider first environmental threats, flash floods / rising water levels, strong winds, landslides, and lightning are all things to consider. During the winter, snow and ice could be a concern as well. Make sure you settle in sheltered and protected location that will naturally shield your group from most environmental threats. In the campsite itself, be wary about dead tree limbs that could fall and pierce or crush a tent. Also be mindful of the ground and avoid camping in divots or bowls that could potentially pool with water in harsh rain.

             A desirable campsite is a relatively flat space with a nice view, it is also big enough for all the necessary shelters and has locations for all three camp areas (tent area, cook area and smellable / bear barrel area). The ideal campsite also has a fire ring for controlled campfires and some natural shelter from the elements.