Camping

We've got four spots we camp at almost every summer and none of them are in service range. At this point it's just an accepted aspect of camping in WA for us.

One of our friends realized he won't be able to keep his Wordle streak going next weekend and seriously thought about bringing Starlink along until we all told him "NO."
 
All packed up and about to head off to Kissimmee Prairie Preserve SP for a few days. Still pretty fucking warm, but should be a great time. Nice to get back out again, as it's been a couple months longer than I would have preferred. It's the only Dark Sky designated area in FL, and we're bringing a telescope, but the clouds might be working against us. I guess we'll do the best we can, but I'll try to put up some pictures late next week.
 
Overall, the camping trip was pretty good. Weather kind of sucked as it rained about half the time we were there, and we had limited night sky visibility, but we had about 3 hours that were pretty good on Sunday, and about an hour on Monday night where the sky was pretty beautiful. Also, we saw some cool critters. In the photos below, the big object in the sky is Jupiter and I'm not sure what type of snake visited our site, but I think it was just a little rat snake. Hard to tell as we were using red lights to get around at night. I might try to get plucky and get us out for a few days again before the end of the year, but likely it will be February or March before our next camping trip.

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Anybody here ever go camping at Alabama Hills? I'm not a camper but when I was there I couldn't help but think it seemed like a cool-ass place to camp. It's definitely a place I'd like to go back to and spend more time at. Like doing some camping.
 
quirk6 said:
Anybody here ever go camping at Alabama Hills? I'm not a camper but when I was there I couldn't help but think it seemed like a cool-ass place to camp. It's definitely a place I'd like to go back to and spend more time at. Like doing some camping.
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It’s on my list but that’s all I can say for now besides recommending you check out Keough hot springs (the free part, it’s a warm river) and consider the very long detour out to the ancient bristlecone pine Patriarch grove. Altitude sickness inducing but otherworldly.
 
quirk6 said:
Anybody here ever go camping at Alabama Hills? I'm not a camper but when I was there I couldn't help but think it seemed like a cool-ass place to camp. It's definitely a place I'd like to go back to and spend more time at. Like doing some camping.
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Some friends went on a camping/climbing trip a few years back and had nothing but great things to say about it.
 
The campground we are at went on lock down for a missing kid. Nobody in or out. Like maybe 90 minutes or so.

They found in the kid. In their own truck parked on their own lot playing on a gameboy or something.

Like nobody thought to look in the damn truck. Nobody.
 
I haven't been camping in decades, but it's something I often think I'd like to do again. Problem is, I have nothing you'd need for it. I've been thinking I could start buying things a little at a time, perhaps as good deals present themselves. Question is, what all exactly should I be buying? What all exactly do you you carry for backpack camping? Or bring for car camping?
 
quirk6 said:
I haven't been camping in decades, but it's something I often think I'd like to do again. Problem is, I have nothing you'd need for it. I've been thinking I could start buying things a little at a time, perhaps as good deals present themselves. Question is, what all exactly should I be buying? What all exactly do you you carry for backpack camping? Or bring for car camping?
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REI has checklists for Car camping and backpacking. I don’t get everything they recommend but I find it’s a good resource to ensure I’m thinking about different issues I can run into when I’m outdoors. You can hit a Walmart or your local sporting goods and likely cover most of the basics without breaking the bank. Find a local park that allows camping (or set up in your backyard) and see how you like it. I’d suggest the first first spot be somewhere that you can break stuff down and leave if you are miserable. Bugs, weather and sleeping area should really be thought about to decrease that chance. I still don’t love sleeping on the ground, but I do it for the experience of backpacking. I hen I’m car camping I have a larger tent that I can use a cot for more comfort. If my wife goes I can use a full size air mattress.

For mealtime I’d say cleanup is a major factor. Cleaning pots, pans and dishes can be a monster pain, especially in the dark when cold and with a few beers in you.

Final thing I’d say is plan ahead and look at the reservation system where you want to go. You can find everything from first come, first serve to lottery reservations systems months in advance. Private campgrounds can also be a good option in highly impacted areas.

Just gotta get out there. If you come out west I can loan you gear.
 
Air mattresses are a bad idea if you live someplace on the colder side. We have sleep pads that are just a thin cushion of air that soften the ground without creating a big space that sucks your body heat away. They can make a big difference in how warm you are on a chilly night if you end up camping spring or fall when the weather can get colder.
 
OceanOfMead said:
Air mattresses are a bad idea if you live someplace on the colder side. We have sleep pads that are just a thin cushion of air that soften the ground without creating a big space that sucks your body heat away. They can make a big difference in how warm you are on a chilly night if you end up camping spring or fall when the weather can get colder.
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Definitely this. I would always bring extra blankets to put under the air mattress.
 
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