7 Need to Know Campsite Cooking Strategies
April 16, 2008
Are you sick and tired of not knowing what to bring or what to cook when you go camping? Do you either pack the entire kitchen (including the sink) or you bring the absolute minimum and then have to use a fork as a spatula or two spoons as tongs?
If that sounds even the slightest bit familiar then you are in the right place. Over the past decade or so I have refined a list of 7 things that I use every single time I prepare for my next camping trip.
These strategies are relevant whether you are car camping, primitive camping, RV camping, scout camping or large group camping. You can very easily apply them across any type of trip, which is what really makes them worthwhile.
So here they are:
1. Plan the Meals ? Okay common sense right? Well If I didn’t include this as the first and most important item I would get hollered at! But seriously, if you don’t plan the meals ahead of time not only do you not know what you’re going to eat you also have no idea what to pack as far as cooking gear is concerned. Do you need a spatula or tongs? Do you need a strainer or a frying pan?
Ultralight Backpacks - The Lightest
April 15, 2008
Why ultralight backpacks? Devotees of ultralight backpacking know you reduce your packweight most by concentrating on the “big three;” backpack, shelter, and sleeping bag. Forget those 6-pound backpacks, 9-pound tents and 5-pound sleeping bags. Reduce that 20 pounds to less than 5, keep the other gear to 5 or 6 pounds, and you can chuck the hot and heavy hiking boots, put on the running shoes, and start enjoying those trails.
Four Ounce Ultralight Backpacks
No, that’s not a typo. One of the ultralight backpacking suppliers recently came out with a light pack with a capacity of 1800 cubic inches, plus more in an expandable rear pocket. Designed to carry just fifteen pounds, It may be more fragile than the average pack, but it weighs just 3.7 ounces! With a pack that light you’re well on your way to keeping your total packweight to fifteen pounds.
I bought a six ounce pack at Walmart. Maybe you didn’t know they sold ultralight backpacks, and niether did they. I’m sure it was intended as a daypack. However, it has 1200 cubic inches and weighs only 6 ounces, so I’ll use it for summer overnighters. At $4, it was light on the budget too.
Why Should You Use Hiking Poles?
April 14, 2008
Why should you use hiking poles is perhaps the first question that may strike in your mind especially when you are a beginner. To get the right answer for this question you need to consider two things i.e. Safety and Comfort. Hiking poles are just balancing sticks which help you maintain good balance that is closely related to your overall safety and comfort. When you use two poles you move as you have four legs which allow you better comfort and safety. Experts say that by using hiking poles you switch to 4×4 mode of driving, using your two legs and two hands.
As far as safety is concerned, a pair of hiking poles helps you prevent frequent fall downs on uncertain tracks, avoiding aches in ankle or knee or even back; and here comfort is pointing towards the convenience in walking such as maintaining right walking posture and pacing using two extra legs.
Although it is personal preference and an individual decision to use hiking poles but they can prove to be very helpful for you during your hiking. You must use hiking poles especially when you are on your first hike. And, I think next time you will yourself carry these sticks with you by seeing their countless benefits.
About Table Mountain Cape Town - Well Known in South Africa and Around the World
April 12, 2008
Table Mountain sheltered the original Cape explorers in the 16th century, the first European settlers and the many following generations of slaves, immigrants and Capetonians who helped to build and develop our special city.
Your first impression of Table Mountain from the city bowl and beyond from Blouberg beach, is almost misleading. You are confronted with a two dimensional image of a solid flat topped behemoth, sometimes draped in swirling cloud, trapped between two attendants - Devil’s Peak and Lion’s Head.
Driving towards the city from Cape Town airport you get a different perspective, as you are confronted with Devil’s Peak and the rugged Eastern buttresses of the Table Mountain range stretching towards Kirstenbosch Gardens and the coastal towns of Muizenberg and FishHoek.
Head towards the cable station and over Kloof Nek towards Camps Bay, and you’ll see the peaks of the Twelve Apostles flanking the winding road to Hout Bay.
Table Mountain in fact stands at the head of an extensive chain of mountains extending south along the backbone of the Cape Peninsula towards Cape Point. It is the direction from whence the well known and respected Cape South Easterly wind originates, from faraway over the Atlantic Ocean, and it is the region now known as the Table Mountain National Park.
Lake Winnipesaukee ? The Smile of the Great Spirit
April 10, 2008
Lake Winnipesaukee is the largest and one of the deepest lakes in New Hampshire. Centered in the popular vacation area known as the Lakes Region it provides 4-season pleasure for millions every year.
The lake is surrounded by the foothills of New Hampshire’s White Mountains, which provides stunning backdrops to this jewel of a New Hampshire lake, and magnificent views for those prepared to hike a few miles to the summit of surrounding peaks.
The lake is spring fed and clean, and many homes on the lake take their water supply directly without any filtering.
But the native people have known this lake and its beauty for 10,000 years. They gave Lake Winnipesaukee the Indian name meaning "Smile of the Great Spirit."
These days people still fish and canoe on the lake but it’s shared with modern day jet skis and motorboats. But essentially Lake Winnipesaukee is an area to take your time exploring, and let the hours tick slowly by.
I’ve been visiting Lake Winnipesaukee for the last twenty years and I have these suggestions for enjoying your visit to the Lake.
M/S MOUNT WASHINGTON CRUISE
Is The Workamper Lifestyle For You?
April 9, 2008
If you’ve been dreaming of traveling the highways in your RV, but see the adventure as something far in the future when you retire, then you may want to seriously consider giving the Workamper lifestyle a try. You can live your dream now; it just takes a little preparation and commitment.
Many of us dream of being able to travel in our RV and camp at will in America’s most beautiful locations, but it never happens. For most, it remains just a dream. There is a small army of people who have brought their dream to reality by combining their love of travel with the ability to work and pay their way through life.
There are literally thousands of jobs that are suited to the traveling lifestyle. RV Parks across the United States hire people in office positions, maintenance, recreation, and other positions. You aren’t expected to be a long-term employee. A commitment of a few weeks or months is all that is required. Most don’t expect you to have extensive campground experience, and if you do a decent job, they will be happy to have you work for them again next season.
Hiking Mount Rainier National Park
April 7, 2008
Mount Rainier National Park is the most popular park in the state. It has fantastic areas to explore. The Mountain is a popular challenge for people wishing to scale the peak. The park also has 240 miles of trails and is a super place to visit.
Established in 1899. 235,625 acres (97% is designated Wilderness). Includes Mount Rainier (14,410′), an active volcano encased in over 35 square miles of snow and ice.
The park contains outstanding examples of old growth forests and subalpine meadows. Mount Rainier National Park offers excellent opportunities for scenic drives, hiking, and mountain climbing. Most roads are open from late May to early October–all provide stunning views and access to a variety of hiking trails and other sites.
Lots of campgrounds, great drives through the area and plenty of places to stay the night. You can stay at the Lodges in the park or just outside in one of the entrance towns.
It will be crowded on the weekends, so be prepared.
Entering from the Southwest Nisqually entrance, it is a great drive up to Paradise.
You will pass Sunshine Point(camping,picnic) and then Kautz Creek Trailhead. Very nice trail up towards Mount Ararat(6010′) and Indian Henrys Hunting Ground(Views are great).
The Kuan Yin Shrine, Bangkok ? the Goddess of Mercy on the Chao Phraya
April 6, 2008
The Kuan Yin Shrine in Bangkok is in an old Chinese building within a community on the Chao Phraya River where time seems to have stood still for the last 200 years.
The site originally had two shrines built in the reign of King Taksin (1767 ? 1782) by his Chinese supporters. The dilapidated buildings were torn down in the reign of King Rama III (1824 ? 1851) and rebuilt to house Kuan Yin, the goddess of mercy.
Today, the Kuan Yin Shrine is in the care of a local Chinese family living in the area. In Thai, the goddess of mercy is known as Jao Mae Kuan Im.
Kuan Yin, an ancient Chinese goddess, embodies the virtues of love, kindness, compassion and forgiveness, a legend that goes back to 300 BC.
The youngest daughter of a Chinese king, she was blessed with virtue and spurned her corrupted father’s greed for wealth and power. When she rejected his order for an arranged marriage, he drove her out of their home.
Rejected, persecuted and exiled by her father, she dedicated her remaining years as a nun healing the sick and destitute and as a savior of shipwrecked sailors. When her father was mortally ill, she sacrificed her eyes and arms for the antidote to save him.
Pigeon Forge Campgrounds
April 4, 2008
Campgrounds are a perfect Pigeon Forge lodging option for visitors looking to be as close as possible to the great outdoors. Campgrounds in Pigeon Forge are located near the beautiful and majestic Great Smoky Mountains National Park and are still only minutes away from the outlet malls, dining, and music theatres that downtown Pigeon Forge has to offer. There are a variety of campgrounds available, from the campground operated by the national park, to independent campgrounds.
Many of the campgrounds in Pigeon Forge feature a full range of camping experiences. Aside from the traditional tent sites, most campgrounds offer RV hookups, small recreational vehicle accommodations, rustic cabins, and more.
Most Pigeon Forge campgrounds can accommodate recreational vehicles up to 40 feet in length. Other amenities can include on site swimming pools, laundry rooms, game rooms, snack machines, fishing ponds, bath houses, and playgrounds for children. Of course campers looking for a more rustic and natural experience can stay on the tent sites, which are surrounded by beautiful trees and are near hiking trails and waterfalls.
Lake Jipe straddling Tanzania and Kenya
April 3, 2008
So unknown is this treasure of Lake Jipe not many Tanzanians know of its existence or location. Sandwiched between the Pare mountains and Kilimanjaro this small lake [30 km sq] straddles the border between Kenya and Tanzania. This lake has a many water birds and is one of the few places in East Africa that the Lesser Jacana and Purple Gallinule are common. Also Madagascar Squacco Herron, Black Herron, African Darter and African Skimmer are often seen here.
Other wildlife seen here are Hippopotamus, Otters, crocodiles, waterbucks and elephants. The northern half of the lake is in Kenya in the Tsavo West National Park. Tsavo West is famed for its huge elephant population ? you stand a good chance of spotting an elephant in this unusual and very off the beaten track excursion.
The best way to experience the lake and the wildlife is to take a local canoe. These wooden canoes sit three people and a young Chaga man will sit at the rear and paddle you around the lake. A good portion of the lake has become chocked with papyrus which looks nice and is also used by the local people use for thatching their houses ? but has reduced the fishing on the lake to negligible levels.
