Summer Camp

Loving rediscovering camping. Did it a lot as a kid with my family and in Scouting, but haven't for a number of years until last summer. I don't really need a week backpacking the Tetons, but I'm digging overnight car camping. It's fun, it's low cost, and it puts me close to good fishing and mountain biking options.

Camping also appeals to the bargain-hunter side of me. My $12 tent has served me well, albeit not in any major rain yet. And $10-15 per night for a campsite is a fraction of the cost of even the cheapest hotel.

One place I did splurge was on a better sleeping pad. A nice thick pad from REI (http://www.rei.com/product/778152) was just the ticket. Found I wasn't sleeping very well on the cheapo I bought at first.

Maybe my favorite part of camping is campfire cuisine. Somehow the idea of building a fire and cooking my meals over it appeals to me. On my Two Hearted trip, dinner was a perfectly grilled steak, grilled asparagus, and roasted redskins. Yum! All turned out perfectly -- probably helps that I do a fair amount of grilling on charcoal at home. In the morning a cheese and bacon omelette was perfect fuel for a day on the river. Was speeded up the the arrival of the rain though! Growing up I had a Scoutmaster who loved doing dutch oven cooking on our Boy Scout camping trips. I remember being really amazed by some of the things he made and how good they were. Also his commitment to lugging that heavy piece of cookware everyplace!

I think the next investment may need to be a little better tent though. Mine's pretty small, and the flimsy fiberglass poles are starting to show their use. Probably a good item to look for a deal on over the winter.

-Sean-