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This is the first of a series of articles that I wrote sometime around 2015 that appeared on the Mason-Dixon Trail website:
Camping Info
Though there are various types of camping such as backpack camping, car camping, RV camping and emergency camping (when you are day hiking and get lost in the woods or when some catastrophic event occurs and you are forced to survive overnight in the woods) I’ll focus mostly on backpack camping in this area.
- Always research an area that you are going to backpack in throughly before you set out. Get the latest maps or apps that cover that area. Call the organization that manages the area and ask questions such as is a permit needed, is there a group limit on the number of backpackers that can hike that trail or area at a time, are there any current trail closures or recent reroutes that you should be aware of. And verify the distance. I once had an older map of a trail that I wanted to lead a hike on. Some of that trail was on an old road. It was about 10 miles. I ordered a new map and right before our group was supposed to do this hike I got the new map. The trail had been re-routed from the road onto trail and was now close to 23 miles long in that section. So we picked another area at the last minute to hike.
- Always try to ‘recon’ the area that you are going to hike. It’s not always practical to go to the location and hike the trail itself in advance. But I have driven to the trailhead before a scheduled hike and checked out the area. And if there is a ranger station or park office nearby, stop by and talk to the authorities there. They are usually very friendly and will be more than willing to give you all the information that you will need for your hike. Even if you have hiked a trail in the past, recon it again as conditions change. I had hiked a trail with a group in 1996. When another person and group wanted to hike the same trail in 2015 no one ever reconned this trail before the hike. When the group again hiked this trail there were massive blowdowns from a recent storm and the trail was impassable. They had to call someone to come and pick them up at the nearest road crossing.
- Water sources are covered in a later article. However, when it comes to having enough water during your hike, make sure that you check on water sources along your hike beforehand. Check the maps, consult various online forums or the web site for a given trail in advance. If there are drought conditions or you know that water will be an issue on the trail that you are going to hike, you should plan to carry more water. My general rule is to carry seventy ounces for every 10 miles hiked. However, if it is a hot day or the terrain on the trail is rough, I have carried up to one hundred ounces or more in a day. You should also carry enough water for your overnight and next morning use. I once led a hike where I consulted a map beforehand that said that there was a spring near the shelter. When we were very close to the shelter we crossed a dry creek bed. I joked that I hoped that this was not the water source. It was. We had to ration the one liter of water that we each had until the next morning. Springs and creeks are usually flowing well in spring due to snow melt and abundent rain. But by fall, a number of springs and creeks in high elevation areas tend to dry up because the water table, due to lack of rain, falls during the year. I also remember hiking a trail once and seeing a mountain where the top third of the trees on this mountain appeared to have brown leaves. The bottom two thirds were green. I attributed this to the water table falling within that mountain.
- Be careful where you pitch your tent. I once pitched a tent in a bowl shaped area at a campsite. It rained during the night. The next morning I woke up and my tent was floating and the floor was partially submerged in water. Pitch your tent on high and gradually sloping ground. And do not pitch your tent in a stream bed. If it rains during the night, the stream may swell and you may be swept away and/or drowned. When it comes to large rivers do not camp close to them either. Especially if they are dammed rivers that are subject to flooding when it rains and water is released over the dam. Camp at least five hundred feet from dammed rivers.
- Food storage is also a major issue when camping. A number of trails now require that you place your food in a bear canister before you hike it. In the back country it is advisable to hang your food in order to avoid having your food stolen by an animal. I once tested a bear canister at a state park that was close to the AT that I knew had bears in the area. So I camped in that park and utilized a bear canister. No bears that night but the next morning the bear canister was knocked over and there were muddy raccoon paw prints all over it. So I guess the bear cannister worked. And I car camped with someone once the night before a backpacking trip that leaned his back pack with food in it against a tree near his tent. During the night raccoons made a ruccus getting into his backpack. This person had to shew away the raccoons. The next morning there was a trail of food packaging leading into the woods. And we had to go and buy him more food for the rest of the trip. So please hang your food or use a bear canister to avoid getting your food swiped. The closest that I have come to having a bear encounter occured while car camping the night before a backpacking trip in WV. A number of us brought steaks with various vegetables wrapped up in aluminum foil. We cooked these over an open fire. They smelled really good and they tasted really good. However, the smoke from this dinner also smelled good. And it floated in my direction as I was cooking. I was concerned that a bear may smell it on me and my clothes later that night. Sure enough, in the middle of the night I awoke to the presence of something right on the other side of the tent wall where I was sleeping. It was belching, snorting, it’s stomach was growling and it was passing gas. Immediately I started making noise and shooing it away. Thank God, It did go away. I think it smelled the steaks that we made earlier that evening. And I believe that one reason that it did not more aggressively persue that smell was that I had pee’d around the perimeter of my tent that night before retiring. The animal (I think it was a small bear) probably smelled that as well and thought that I had marked my territory. I was lucky.
- What kind of gear do you need to go backpacking? At a minimum you will need a tent, a ground cloth for that tent, a sleeping bag, a mattress of some sort for that sleeping bag, a flashlight or two, food, a bear proof container for that food, a container for water, a water filter and a backpack to hold it all.
As far as tents go you should compromise between weight, comfort, space and price. There are some fantastic light weight tents out there. But they are expensive. You could share a tent with someone and save weight and save on the price. However, if you are backpacking solo you need to find a tent that will hold you and all of your gear. I personally like a tent with the entrance on the wide side of that tent. It is easier to get into and out of. Do the research and buy what is best for you in terms of price, weight, comfort and space.
As far as sleeping bags go I own three of them: a 50 degree bag, a 20 degree bag and a 0 degree bag. Depending on the predicted temperature, I use one of the three sleeping bags that I own. If you don’t have the proper sleeping bag you will have a miserable night in the woods. There is also a debate over whether a synthetic or down sleeping bag is superior. I prefer synthetic. Try some sleeping bags out at an outfitter before you buy.
There are air mattresses and closed cellfoam mattresses to place under your sleeping bag. Buy a good one as this will make a difference how well you will sleep at night. I have used both an air mattress and a closed cell foam mattress. Sometimes I have used both of them at the same time. Experiment and buy what works best for you.
Please take more than one flashlight and/or headlamp when you go backpacking. More than once I have had a flashlight fail on me during a trip. It is no fun fumbling in the dark for your gear, the tent zipper, your clothes, etc. Also, I have, on more than one occasion, gotten lost when going from a trail shelter to the privy in the dark and then back to the shelter again. I haven’t tried this yet but I plan to attach either a small flashlight or a glow stick to the rear of the trail shelter that I am sleeping in. That way, I won’t waste anywhere from five minutes to a half hour trying to find my way back from the privy to the shelter in the middle of a pitch black night in the woods.
More trails are requiring you to have a bear proof container to hold your food. I talk about them elsewhere in this series but they are worth it. Get one.
Finally, backpacks. Most people use an internal frame backpack these days. I have two: a 65 liter for weekend trips and a 90 liter for long distance trips. The smaller the pack, the less stuff that you will take. The less stuff you have, the less weight that you have to carry. The less weight that you have to carry, the faster that you will hike and cover a greater distance. Keep in mind that if it is cold out, you will need more clothes and a warmer sleeping bag. And you will need more room for food and a bear canister if hiking longer distances. So again, do the research and buy what appeals most to you.
Know of any other useful camping info that you would like to contribute? If so, please use the
and I will add it here and give you credit for that contribution.
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