Tip of the Month

AUGUST 2007
KEEPING YOUR FOOD SAFE FROM CRITTERS


Hiking along the beach in Olympic National Park some years ago, I came upon what looked like a football goal post. It was, my companions explained to me, a “bruin baffle.” It was a device that allowed campers to hoist their food up in the air so that a bear couldn’t get to it.

Since then, I’ve learned that other creatures in the woods—mice, raccoons, squirrels, chipmunks—are much more likely to be a nuisance, attacking campers’ rations.

There are two tricks to keeping your food safe. One is to keep it somewhere where the critters can’t get to it. That might be locking it in your car, putting it in a sturdy container provided by the campground, or hanging it high out of reach. If the campground hasn’t supplied a convenient hanging post, you must hang your food from a tree. Throw a light rope (you did bring a rope, didn’t you?) over the limb of the tree by tying the rope to a sock with a rock in it. Put all your food items—that includes garbage, food wrappers, snacks, chewing gum, toothpaste, any other scented products—in a bag. Tie the rope to the bag and hoist it up. Don’t bring it all the way up to the limb; a critter might crawl out on the limb and get into your food bag. Keep the bag suspended a few inches below the limb.

A second way to keep foods safe is to put them into “critter proof” containers. In Olympic National Park and North Cascade National Park, there are some areas where hard-sided bear-proof containers are required. At ranger stations, campers can rent these hard plastic barrels that are perfectly smooth when closed; the container screws open with a dime in a slot. In other parks, rangers provided plastic paint buckets with snap-on lids to keep raccoons from campers’ food. Both containers work because an animal—from mouse to bear —can’t break into the smooth sides with either tooth or claw.

JULY 2007
BE PREPARED FOR BAD WEATHER: SET UP A RAIN FLY

Weather forecasters are often wrong. Even if you start out for your camping trip with the promise of great weather, it still might rain. With an extra tarp, some shower curtain rings and a lot of rope in the car, you can be prepared to set up a fly over your dining table and some of your play space, and wait out a short squall.

It’s easy to set up the rain fly. Use shower curtain rings through the holes (grommets) in the tarp to make it easier to tie the corners, and perhaps the center of the highest edge of the tarp, to nearby trees or shrubs. You can also use your hiking poles to hold a corner, or even tie on to your car (if you have a rack on top or some other convenient protuberance).

Most blue tarps come supplied with convenient grommets; however, if you can’t find a tarp, don’t despair. A big length of plastic will work nicely as a rain fly, and you get to decide how big you want it to be. Don’t try to cut holes in the plastic; it will tear easily. Instead, make a lump by wrapping a rock in the plastic and snuggling the short end of the curtain ring under the lump. In other words, the rock holds the tarp to the curtain ring. Tie the rope to the other end of the ring and fasten to a tree.

We carry a big supply of cotton cord, about 1/8 inch thick, to use for tying a fly and many other tasks around camp. It’s also important to have some tool, a knife or a scissors, for cutting the rope. Save the lengths of rope; you can use them over and over again.

Some people carry ping pong balls, which are not as heavy as rocks, to form the lumps in the plastic.

When you set up the rain fly one edge should be lower than the other so that rain will run off on to the ground. Be careful when you’re setting up the fly. You don’t want the rain to run off onto the table or the entry to your tent.

JUNE 2007
DO YOU REALLY NEED A CAMPFIRE?

Most campers share a concern for taking care of the outdoors, the parks and forests where we are camped. Most of us already know that burning wood adds to air pollution. Recently I learned that plant pests and diseases have been carried into the woods in firewood that campers are bringing from home. So, do you really need a campfire, and do you need a BIG campfire?

Consider this: a small fire is just as good for roasting wieners or toasting hot dogs as a big fire.

A small fire of charcoal briquettes or a compressed log especially designed for outdoor burning releases less particulate matter into the atmosphere than a wood fire.

Logs purchased in camp are less likely to introduce new pests into camp. The wood you bring from home, from that rotten tree in the yard that fell in last winter’s storm, is more likely to carry new pests to a new area.

If you’re cooking on a stove, you can still sit around dancing flames without building a fire! In a restaurant near my home, the fireplace is filled with many burning candles in glass candleholders. You can collect all the half-consumed candles in your house, stick them into the fire ring at your campsite, and sit around the fire with a clear conscience. Or,

My spies have told me that at REI you can buy a propane campfire by Campchef. I haven’t seen it myself; if you see it, or try it, let me know what you think of it.

MAY 2007
CLOSE TO HOME

With gasoline prices rising and showing little sign of falling this summer, families are beginning to think of finding summer vacation spots closer to home. For campers, that means finding camping sites only a short drive away.

Many people do not realize that, in addition to the big state and national parks that they know, there are also campgrounds in many COUNTIES. These sites are often smaller and less expensive per night than the more well known parks, but they are usually situated near a lake or stream or an area of historic or natural interest. You will not lack things to do in a county park, but if you’re concerned that your children will be bored, bring along more of the wheeled toys or quiet pursuits that are listed in CAMPING WITH KIDS.

To find county parks near your home, contact the park department of your own county, and then go to the park departments of the counties that are north, south, east and west of your own. You will be surprised at the camping opportunities that are available.

APRIL 2007 - MAKE SUMMER PLANS NOW
THE DESTINATION GAME

Fuel prices are fluctuating, mostly in an upward direction. Your small children have expressed themselves clearly in opposition to long car rides. That camping trip to a park two states away may seem less and less feasible this year. That doesn’t mean you can’t have a camping vacation; it just means you have to camp closer to home. To help you make your summer plans, I’ve copied one of my HELPING HANDS sections from CAMPING WITH KIDS. It’s THE DESTINATION GAME!

To determine where you should camp, first figure out how many hours of driving your family will tolerate. Next, enlist your children’s help for this exercise: using the distance key on a map of your state, measure a piece of string that represents the distance you can travel in that amount of time. In other words, if your family can tolerate only one hour of driving, and you drive approximate 50 miles in one hour, cut the string to be 50 miles long, with a tad left over to tie the string to a pencil.

On the same map of your state, pin the other end of the string to your hometown, and draw a circle as many hours away as your family can drive in one day. Your destination is somewhere in that circle. Look for the symbol for overnight camping—it may be a tent or some kind of tree shape. Look for city, county, state and national parks that allow camping, or for private campgrounds. You may be surprised to see how many camping opportunities there are close to your home.

MARCH 2007
THREE GENERATIONAL CAMPING TRIPS!

Grandma and Grandpa, Mom, Dad, and all the kids! There are lots of good reasons for taking the whole family along—the advantage of grandparents’ experience in the outdoors, the extra number of supervisors for kids’ activities, the opportunity for parents to get away and have a day or an afternoon by themselves. Here’s one more benefit that you may not have thought of:

AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL
NATIONAL PARKS AND FEDERAL RECREATIONAL LANDS SENIOR PASS

This is a lifetime pass for U.S. citizens or permanent residents age 62 or over that costs just $10. The pass provides access to, and use of, federal recreation sites that charge an entrance fee. The pass admits the holder and all the passengers in a non-commercial vehicle at vehicle fee areas. So when your car pulls up at the entrance to a national park and grandma shows her pass, the whole carload gets in free. When you’re at some day use areas that charge a fee, the pass left on the dashboard (or hanging from the rear view mirror in a plastic case) means that you don’t have to pay the daily fee. At some walk-in areas where there are per person fees and children under16 are admitted free, the pass admits the holder plus 3 adults, not to exceed 4 adults.

The Senior Pass can be obtained only in person at a park or ranger station. The pass also provides a 50 percent discount just to the pass holder for some facilities and services such as camping, swimming, boat launch, and specialized interpretive services. The pass is non-transferable and generally does NOT cover or reduce special recreation permit fees or fees charged by concessionaires.

If you have very young looking grandparents, they may be asked to show picture I.D.


FEBRUARY 2007
SAFE SLEDDING

When I was researching for CAMPING WITH KIDS, I discovered a fun network of places to camp: YOGI BEAR’S JELLYSTONE PARK™ CAMP-RESORTS. These parks are located all over the country, mostly east of the Mississippi, but some also in California, Montana, and Colorado. The camps feature lots of activities for kids of all ages; they have campsites for RVs and tents, and some even have cabins to rent.

Because I had contacted YOGI BEAR’S JELLYSTONE PARK™ CAMP-RESORTS for their information, they put me on their e-mail list for the monthly Jellystone Journal, where I find news about their camps, recipes, and tips for having fun. In their most recent issue, I found advice for safe sledding. You may not choose to camp in the snow (some people do), but sledding is an annual activity in many parts of the country. Here’s what they advise for safety:

• Be sure everyone is dressed appropriately for fun in a cold, wet environment. Plus, layers of clothing can help protect against injury.
• Watch out for ties or drawstrings on kids' clothes and be sure to tuck them in - they could get caught on something.
• Check your sledding equipment to make sure it's in good condition. Cracks, sharp edges and broken pieces can lead to injury.
• Stay away from frozen lakes or ponds, no matter how inviting they may look. The ice may not be as stable as it seems.
• Choose wide, gentle hills with enough runoff for the sled to come to a halt on its own. Avoid sledding close to roads, large trees, fences or other obstacles.
• Don't sled headfirst. The best, safest position for sledding is sitting up or lying on your back with your feet pointing downhill.
• If you sled after dark, choose a well-lit area.
• Kids under 12 should wear a helmet.
  Here’s where you can find out more about Jellystone Parks:
  Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park™...Where You Camp With Friends.®
  www.campjellystone.com
  www.jpkid.com

JANUARY 2007
SLEEPING BAGS

Here’s a good project for the long winter months while you may be dreaming of camping: make sleeping bags for your kids! This is a simple project, and a little time spent now will save a lot of money next summer.

Start with an old comforter or soft blanket. If you don’t have one, buy one in a thrift store. Fold the comforter in half and sew across the bottom and partway up the side, either by machine or using the blanket stitch (see illustration). That bag would fit an older child, and even leaves a little room for growing. For a smaller person, cut the folded comforter or blanket to the right length (have the child lie on it) and again sew across the bottom and up the side.

An even easier method for putting the bag together is to fasten the edges of the comforter together with big safety pins, like diaper pins. This “sleeping bag” can be opened up and dried out in case of an accidental nighttime wetting.

If you want to go one step more elegant for your sleeping bag, line the comforter with an old, soft sheet. Just fold sheet and comforter together, and proceed as above.

Finally, for a brand-new sleeping bag, go to a fabric store and buy quilted material (intended for bathrobes) or heavy fleece to measure, and once again fold and sew. You’ll find fleece is a wonderful material to work with; it cuts easily and the edges don’t ravel. For a trip through the Grand Canyon, I made a double sleeping bag by sewing a length of fleece to a single bed sheet, creating a big pocket. On warm nights, we slept on the fleece, under the sheet, but on the one night that was chilly, we reversed the bag, sheet on the bottom and the fleece on top. You can do the same thing with quilted material.

DECEMBER 2006
GIVE KIDS A CAMPING GIFT

With the December holidays approaching, the camping season may seem a long way off, but a gift that anticipates the coming adventures will help the long wait go faster.

One fine gift for a young camper, either a boy or a girl, would be a first rucksack, a small pack full of important camping gear. There are whole lot of things you might put into the rucksack, depending on the child’s age and interests. Consider a bandanna in the youngster’s favorite color, a water bottle, a sun hat or sun glasses, an “ouch pouch” (a few bright band-aids and a small tube of first aid cream), or a “bathroom bag” (a supply of toilet paper, a plastic bag for used toilet paper, and a few moist towels).

Then there could be fun things--a small plastic magnifying glass for looking at bugs and leaves; a pair of inexpensive, easy-to-use binoculars; a camera; or a notebook for keeping track of discoveries. The child who had been taught the proper use of a knife could even receive a small jackknife.

The rucksack you choose should have wide, comfortable shoulder straps and an opening/closing system easy for little fingers to manipulate. Be sure that the sack is not so large that it drags the child down, but not so small that there’s no room left inside for a snack or a light jacket.

NOVEMBER 2006
RESTORE, REPAIR, REPLACE

For most of us the camping season has finally ended. This is a good time to get all our camping equipment properly stored for the long winter’s wait until next year.

All of our gear should be put away in clean condition. That means that sleeping bags may need to be washed, or at least thoroughly brushed and aired. (I’m assuming that your summer bags are washable, stuffed with some kind of man-made insulating fiber.) Unless you own an extra-large, extra-heavy washing machine, don’t try to launder your sleeping bags at home. Take them to a laundromat with heavy duty washers and driers. Before washing, check your bags for tears and be sure to repair those rips either by sewing them up on a machine or by sealing them with iron-on tape. Sleeping bags should be stored flat, if possible, or else loosely rolled. They should be exposed to air; don’t stuff them into non-breathing tight plastic bags.

Tents should also be stored in a clean condition. Unroll your tent for the last time and shake it thoroughly or sweep it out. You may need to scrub spots of mud off the floor, or off the bottom. This is a good time to repair the leaks that you may have noticed during the summer. If you didn’t note them in the field, hold the tent up to a strong light and look for points of light coming through, indicating tiny leaks. Repair the leaks with seam sealer (available at outdoor stores) or with iron-on tape. Tents too should not be stored in a tight roll; best of all is to hang the tent in open air in a basement or garage. Otherwise, roll it loosely on a shelf.
Clean your ice chests and put an open box of baking soda in each one.

RV campers need to clean their vehicles thoroughly and follow their manufacturer’s instructions for winter use or storage.

If you decide that your equipment won’t last one more summer, this is a good time to find bargains in camping equipment. Many stores have sales at the end of the season to clear their floors of summer goods. At this late date, the sales may be over, but you might find, by asking, that some stores still have a few last pieces in their storerooms that they are eager to get rid of at very reduced prices.

OCTOBER 2006
A GOOD BOOK FOR RV DRIVERS

When I was in Red Lodge, MT, last August signing books at the Red Lodge Bookstore, I was impressed with the number of RV and MotorHome Books in the store, and the number of those vehicles I saw on the road, to and from Yellowstone National Park. The road we took, by the way, over Beartooth Pass, is a National Scenic By-way that goes from an elevation of 5,000 feet at Red Lodge to more than 10,000 feet at the summit.

One book I found especially impressive, especially after coming over Beartooth Pass. It was called Mountain Directory West—for Truckers, RV and Motorhome Drivers, sub-titled Locations and Descriptions of over 400 Mountain Passes and Steep Grades in Eleven Western States. Driving an RV over steep grades demands attention to the weight of the vehicle, engine power, braking, cooling, air conditioning, etc., and this book covers it all, one pass at a time. It’s published by R&R Publishing, Inc, Baldwin City, KS, 66006-0941, 1 800 594 5999, or mtndr@earthlink.net. There’s also an edition for Mountain Directory East.

SEPTEMBER 2006
ADD TO YOUR LIST OF CAMPING
INDISPENSABLES: DENTAL FLOSS

You probably already carry dental floss along with your toothbrush and toothpaste in your hygiene necessities kit, but did you know that dental floss, in an emergency (like forgetting to bring a knife), can also be a cutting tool?

That’s right, dental floss will slice through butter, cheese, a soft fruit like a peach or a nectarine, or even a loaf of bread. My daughter told me that she once cut up a watermelon, using dental floss. If the item you’re cutting has a tough skin or rind, like a tomato or a melon, you may need to break through the skin just a bit to get the cut started. You can use a plastic spoon or fork to make the initial break, or a very clean fingernail.

If the item to be cut is square, like a brick of cheese, hold one end of a short length of floss in each hand and cut straight down. It the item is round, like a tomato, wrap the dental floss around the item that needs cutting, cross the ends, and pull. Even young children can safely slice cheese when they do it with dental floss. And while unflavored dental floss would seem to be best, the mint flavored kind I used this afternoon to slice tomatoes and nectarines left no trace of “mintiness” on the fruit.

AUGUST 2006
ANOTHER INDISPENSABLE: BAKING SODA

Baking soda has many uses in the home, and some of these translate to uses for campers as well. For example: