Camping

[bbro]

Originally Posted by monster

I'm pretty sure most are OK with you burning anything that's "dead, down and on the ground"

...they don't like you bringing it in though

Actually, there are parks that gathering wood is prohibited. You can bring it in, but you can't take it back out. Some places require that you by it on-site. But, it varies with the park. I check before I go. I'm ok with buying wood at the park to avoid the hassle. It's an easy way to support the park, the way I look at it.

[Gravdigr]

Originally Posted by bbro

Actually, there are parks that gathering wood is prohibited. You can bring it in, but you can't take it back out. Some places require that you by it on-site. But, it varies with the park. I check before I go. I'm ok with buying wood at the park to avoid the hassle. It's an easy way to support the park, the way I look at it.

That's literally burning money. Which is ok, if you have money to burn.

[monster]

Originally Posted by bbro

Actually, there are parks that gathering wood is prohibited. You can bring it in, but you can't take it back out. Some places require that you by it on-site. But, it varies with the park. I check before I go. I'm ok with buying wood at the park to avoid the hassle. It's an easy way to support the park, the way I look at it.

no Emerald Ash Borer where you are then, I guess

[Gravdigr]

Originally Posted by bbro

And sorry, not putting leaves and stuff inside my tent.

The leaves go under the tent.

[captainhook455]

Originally Posted by bbro

@Pamela/monster - I was thinking about a cot if the pad didn't work out. It is SO comfy though and will be better for the hike in sites.

@captainhook - the hatchet is for fallen wood, not chopping down trees. That is definitely not allowed in the parks. And sorry, not putting leaves and stuff inside my tent. I'm trying not to get bit by bugs. Thanks for the tip about the salt. I may bring a bigger container of salt.

The leaves don't go on the tent floor, but under the tent. A hatchet is good for pounding tent pegs in the ground or cutting off your fingers. Better to have a 7" filet knife hanging off your belt. You will use it more.

Just take a section of fallen wood in your hands like a baseball bat and wrap it on the nearest tree. Dry wood will break up. Green wood will remind you what it feels like to hit a 100 mph speed ball.

[Diaphone Jim]

Army tents come in "shelter halves" which two man teams put two together to make the tent.
During a training exercise a looong time ago my tent partner put it up while I was doing some other task and covered the bottom (inside) with nice soft vegetation.
The next morning I discovered it was poison ivy, to which he seemed to be immune and I never have been. Gahh!

[Clodfobble]

Originally Posted by Diaphone Jim

The next morning I discovered it was poison ivy, to which he seemed to be immune and I never have been. Gahh!

Mr. Clod is severely allergic to poison ivy--just a little touch on his hands, and it "goes systemic," which means his entire body breaks out and the inflammation takes 2-3 months to heal. I can't even imagine what would happen if he slept on a pile of it.

[Diaphone Jim]

The poison ivy incident was at Benning School for Boys in Georgia, where I think they have ivy as opposed to our nearly identical poison oak in the west.

I had a girlfriend who shared Mr. Clod's severe allergy to the nasty plant.
I still feel extremely chagrinned and remorseful almost fifty years later for telling her on a December hike through a leafless forest: "You can't catch it this time of year."

[Happy Monkey]

I had a reaction on my first Boy Scout campout; I woke up completely covered in rash.

No idea why; I grew up frequently exposed to Poison Ivy, and had occasional rashes just at the exposure area; it probably was some other allergen.

It wasn't super-uncomfortable, actually, but it looked terrible, and scared the Scoutmaster.

[bbro]

I got poison ivy second hand when I was young. The stupid people I lived with brought a basketball that had bounced into the evil weed into the family room. There it sat until I came in from playing, turned on the tv, and played with the ball on the floor. I broke out all over my fingers - I only touched it using the tips. In between the fingers was the worst. Painful as all get out. I had Miss Piggy and Kermit band aids.

[glatt]

I never had a problem with poison ivy until I did.

That's when I decided to teach myself what it looks like. Now I can spot it from a distance. In the daytime, anyway.

[Clodfobble]

Another poison ivy story I just remembered: in college, they had a volunteer service day coordinated between a bunch of different organizations, and one of their tasks was clearing brush from some place. The next day, literally hundreds of students showed up in the health center all at once with poison ivy rashes.

[bbro]

So. I have another camping adventure coming up next weekend. It's with the hiking group (not sure if I mentioned before) that I joined, but left me behind again. I would cancel, but I've already paid and offered to help the person setting up. As of now, there is no information on the fire situation or anything. I am planning on treating it more like the hike in sites I have reserved later in the year. I want to see if there is any way that I can leave the cooler in the car and walk back and forth to get food or if I should depend on dehydrated/canned food.

What I have planned so far:
Breakfast
- Egg tacos wrapped in foil I can reheat on a small skillet on my camp stove
- Backup - Shelf stable cheese and sausage with bread or crackers

Lunch
- Sandwich and fruit - Only one lunch day. Could be while hiking
- Backup - Canned soup

Dinner - Assumption is there is at least one fire a day
- Hobo packet with chicken and veg
- Backup - Canned soup

Definitely taking my 5 gallon water jug. I need a smaller container for a limited kitchen box. Maybe just a box for now, but long term, it should be something else. Maybe I should make a bag or something easy to carry. I was initially thinking of using a duffel bag. Then, I could carry my food stuff, clothes, pillow, etc in one bag and hopefully make less trips. Experimentation is upon us.

[Diaphone Jim]

Five gallons = c. five days.
Get a backpack, preferably on a frame.
Learn from the group.

[bbro]

So some more information on the other invite. There will be a catered dinner on Saturday. I'm still bringing some soup for back up. The rest will likely stay the same. I am also eating before I get there on Friday. The organizer is making vegetarian chili. I get the feeling it's going to be all beans and I hate all beans. Except for chickpeas when made into hummus.

@Diaphone Jim - better to have more than needed and not enough. I have a day pack with an internal frame. I don't need a true backpacker pack just yet. I doubt there is anything to learn from the group, but you are right, I will take it if it happens.