It may still be a bit early up in Michigan but down south its definitely
warm enough now for camping trips.  How many of people here get into
camping?? Do ya tent camp--and if so, where are some of your favorite
places to go?? What kind of stories do ya have to share? Any special
traditions?  What about disastors?  Any "must see" places to go to??

64 responses total.

I love camping!!!  I have a ton of stories, but spidyr would probably
get mad.  ;)  My favorite trip was when my friends and I went to the
Pictured Rocks last Labor Day weekend.  We stayed at Chapel Rock/
Beach, and camped on a bluff.  The area is *beautiful*, and we had
a great time.  The raccoons up there have formed a fan club in my
honor too.  ;)  I left my backpack sitting on the ground on night,
and they got away with a bag of pears, half a loaf of bread, and
tried their darndest to get at the peanut butter!  =)

Bear stories! I was "camping" in Yosemite Valley - well, I was out in
the open in a sleeping bag - and I was awakened in the morning by the
rattle of the cookware I had left on the campsite table. There, standing
upon the table, was a black bear, nosing the pots and pans: heh, I
closed my eyes and tried to make believe I was sleeping still. 

excellant non-move.
  
tent camping with motorcycle tranport is just about as much gusto
as you can get. 
 
go for it!

Camping??  <anne runs screaming into the night>

   Camping is wonderful.  Just remember that the American version
in Campers with small electric generators with little tiny TV's
and meter dishes on the roof ISN'T CAMPING.

Yeah...my mother's idea of camping is getting a hotel room that's next to
trees. =)

I go camping in Kingston, Ontario almost every year. There's a cool place
on the Rideau Canal with lots of fish. It's relaxing and fun. 

I also went to Ottawa for a day last year. Ontario is probably the most
amazing place on earth. (Ontario has more lakes than any other *country* 
on earth. It's phenomenal.)

I went for the gusto TS, and spent a whole summer motobike camping
in Europe. It was fantastic. Boy, did I get sick of that motorbike 8^P. 

glad to hear that, next time maybe get a bike with some more HP.
  
But, it;s sitll a blast.

It was a Triumph 350, with windscreen and panniers - through Eastern
Europe (then!) it was just about the largest vehicle on the road. I
had a one-person tent (which made a very cozy two person tent), with
a ceiling light off the bike battery - luxury!

I love camping. Some of my favorite places are...
Anywhere in the pigeon river forest.
Sturgeon Valley
The seskatewan in Canada (spelling)
Pictured rocks
Bear cove, near the lava fields in Canada
North and South manitou island
Isle Royal
Beaver Island (more recreational camping..Nothing real outdoorsish)
Buckner Indiana (Many a strange spelunking story started here)
The Boundry Waters
Anyplace in the Upper Peninsula
Tequisketango, Mexico...(great cliffs to climb)
Lil' campground 30 miles north of Niagra falls (forgot the name)

I have a lot of great stories to tella bout camping.
Maybe I'll tell some as this item goes a little more.

I've never been camping. I have a place up north on which I can camp,
but don't actually know how to go about it properly.

wow - a Trump 350, **that's class!!** 
  
katie, see if you can make it to Grexstock, use a motel and
visit we'uns who will, I'm certain, provide a wide variety
of "options."

Now that I've been in Virginia for a while I've been driving through beautiful
mountain areas quite a bit. Two areas I'd really like to camp in are in the
George Washington National Forest and the Jefferson National Forest. The area
along the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway in the Jefferson National Forest is
simply some of the most beautiful I've ever seen. I hope to be able to camp
this summer.

I could have this wrong, but if my memory serves me right you should
notice the AT symbols for the Appalachian Trail through that area as you
crossed it a number of times.

I don't know about AT symbols, but I've been through the Appalachian Trail
area, although if I remember right it's somewhat south of where I am. 
(roanoke)

I really like the Shawnee National Forest.  The entire forest is in 
the middle of nowhere.  There are no highway sounds and no light 
pollution.  Just nature.  

Beautiful.

I've hiked on the AP, since it's close to me, but my favorite place
is camping on the beach at Assateague Island...yes folks, you camp right 
on the beach, behind the barrier dunes...it is really cool and the
wild ponies come right up to check things out too!  It is a state camp,
so anyone can come, but it fills up fast!

Tell us more about Assateague Island.  It sounds like an interesting place.
Where did the ponies come from?  Is it open year round?

Ponies? Cool, where is this place?

It is an interesting place, but I thought it was too crowded - and
definitely too many vehicles. My favorite camping spots were in the
High Sierra, a couple of days walk in (and out), where you saw no one but
your companions.

Oh yes - Assateague is a very long barrier island in the Atlantic off
southeastern Maryland and northeastern Virginia. At its southern end
is Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge.

Nothing beats camping in the mountains of Glacier National park in montana.
Water so clear you could snorkel and look down 40 feet with clarity.  Peaks
surrounding you.   Glaciers to walk on.  High mountain pastures to sit in.
All reachable by car!  Going to the Sun road is a riot to drive as long as
there is no snow or rain.

I've been camping in the UP for the last 3-4 years (not continously, 
one week a year or so).  Favorite spots:  Near Paradise, the Two Hearted
River campground (hard to find, primitive, bu tright on Lake Superior)
and new from last year, Grand Island.  Last year we only went mtn biking
on Grand Island , but the plan this year is to do some camping as well.

We've canoed the Two Hearted River, and found very pleasant camping
along the way. The river is easy enough for novices.

I've been there too. It's a nice place.
Another nice place to camp in Big BEar Cove in Canada.
Very cool place.

Did not do much when the kids were little, but now that they are older, we
have gotten into camping for vacations.  Spent a week under the shadows of
the ZugSpitz last summer.  Great time (except for the 50K bike ride in a
driving rain followed by a hike up the ZugSpitz, 9000 Meters up, which my
kids engineered).  Best vaction ever!

Does anybody cave? Personally I love it. Just wondering about others.
What were your experiences like?

They say the horses were brought to the barrier island by pirates!  Yes it can
get , it can get crowded at Assateague Island, but I've met people from all
over the world there and I have camped there since my kids were infants. While
I like to backpack, I am not too enthusiastic about carrying a kid, all their
stuff and my stuff to a remote place.  For an excellent backpacking trail, try
the rails to trails hike along the Greenbrier River in West Virginia.  The
elevation is 10 feet per mile *my speed* and there is plenty of fresh water
next to you.  It is also wonderfully  scenic and wild and isolated in parts. 
I'd love to plan a trip there with anyone who is interested...email if you are!

9000 meters? Everest is only 8850 meters. That was some vacation!

Since moving to NC, I've camped in the mountains once [with former
m-netters Al and Jeanie Gursin] and once at the beach with fellow
mnetter/grexian, Jep.  [Hmm, I still remember the storm that went thru,
hey jep??] 

After going a couple years without anyone to go camping with, I know
have a wonderful friend that I've been out camping with a couple times
this season already.  The first trip we went to the Cliffs of the Neuse
State Park but didn't stay too late on Sunday because of the killer
mosquitoes [surpixsing us that there were so  many so early
in the season, it was early April when we went.]  Then a couple
weekends ago, we went to Jordan Lake [and would've had more fun if we
didn't get sick--I ended up with strep throat [or so I thought], he ended
up with bronchitis...]  Sooner or later, we'll have some camping trips
where we are healthy and not attacked by the bugs!!

But think how *memorable* those camping trips will be, when you look back
at them! (I knew a group camping leader who built hardships into his
planned trips, such as the food cache "accidentally" not being at the
bext bivouac, because it made the trips more memorable.) 

Sorry.  9000 FT.  2700 Meters.  Still, from the bottom, it is straight up!

The past Holly Week I was camping in Otun's Lagoon at 3950Mts. over the sea
level. In Colombia, the perpetual snows begin at 4800Mts. O.S.L. We went
walking from there to the Nevado de Santa Isabel (5150Mts) and we almost get
frozen. Peacefrg, if you love rock climbing, you can try here but don't forget
carring an oxigen mask.

Yes. I haven't climbed in Colombia, but my brother has, and on one
trip a climber didn't acclimatize, and died of pulmonary edema. I
have climbed above 4330 meters, so just breathed hard.

Back to a response way up there, yes there are "AT" (appalachian Trail)
markers along the Blue Ridge Mts in Shenandoah National Park.
It is a wonderful place to camp/hike, but pollution is finally 
even reaching there and more and more often obsuring some of the
incredible views. The area also has plenty of history, which I
find an added attrachtion.  Along the Skyline Drive, in the
northern end there are lots of gentle climbs which comfortably
get the inexperienced or younger kids to remarkable peaks.

However, my idea of camping is staying in a room with indoor
plumbing and beds!

Has anybody camped in the Pigeon River Forest? Where are your favorite 
places to go there?

I've tent camped alone for five weeks at a stretch, covering 9000 miles
between parks all around the American west.  Camping and hiking alone is a
mixed pleasure.  You can set your own path, making it up as you go along,
do just what appeals to you, but some of the basic pleasures of camping
require company.  Like I've never had any use for a campfire when I'm
alone.  To me, a campfire is a kind of magic human gathering, and I can't
handle it alone.  It's been a while since I've been out.  Maybe I can
find a group to go with this summer.

you are completely welcome at the Grexpidition ..... naturally.

- Backtalk version 1.3.30 - Copyright 1996-2006, Jan Wolter and Steve Weiss