first campout

Do you remember your first camping trip. Mine was at Camp Mayfield with the BSA. There where about 6 cabins that slept 12 people. They even had mattresses. Although stained and I don't want to know with what, ever. It was pretty comfy. The first night the older Scouts would have the younger scouts looking for left handed smoke shifters and sky hooks. And I cant forget snipe hunting. That's when they left us in the woods looking for them for quite some time. They made sure we looked for the green eyed ones because they where worth more money. The next day we spent learning about knots, first aid and some orienteering. This is what got me hooked on camping and even though I was mad that first night I loved every second of it. Even more so the following year when I got to send the new scouts out looking for things that didn't exist.

 

Sure do remember one of my first. Barely. We would take the whole family and the canvas tent we had and go to the Tuscarawas River near Port Washington Ohio. We'd fish all night.

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When I was a kid I was scrawny! I packed my backpack for a nights camp out with more stuff than I could use in a week including more food than I could eat in that same time frame. Added to that my tent was a cabin tent made out of canvas, it weighed 1,000 lbs. A buddy and I traded off carrying the tent with our own packs. We got to a spot that we decided to use for a camp location. Barely cleared the ground and set up the tent. We were worn out from carrying that tent and packs. Barely touched the food we brought and slept poorly that night because of the ruff ground under us. Next day tore things down, dragged all that stuff back home and couldn't wait to go again. I do remember the next trip wasn't nearly as heavy. Aaaahhhh, the school of hard knocks! I can't berate it, I got my Masters from it.

Bibsoutdoors

 

We do learn most from our mistakes and I have made my fair share. I'm still making them.

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Lol! I can relate with the old canvas tent.

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I remember my first real live adventure canoe trip. Yep...I can remember it clearly now ----->

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Didn't bring a tent - used a tarp instead. Every bug and mosquito in Algonquin Provincial Park congregated at our site and stayed the whole lon.......g night.
Didn't bring a sleeping bag - used a grey military looking blanket like I was some private last class in the War of 1812; damn near froze after the sun went down.
Didn't take a compass - got lost on the water and ended up on a dead end lake.
Didn't bring a lot of matches - ate cold food that tasted like last week's "nobody wanted it ugly special".
Didn't bring a lot of food - but dreamrd about it.

Yes, there were a lot of DIDN'TS that accompanied us on that trip.
Interesting experience and one that I've never enjoyed since.
Did we take memorable pictures of this ill fated trip?
Of course not - we didn't bring a camera either.

"What's a Green Horn?"​

 

LAUGHING......LAUGHING......STILL LAUGHING! Not at anyone, in an honest raise of hands I'll bet all of us have been in those shoes at some point! Probably after BOOT CAMP to boot!

Bibsoutdoors

 

My family would camp a week every summer. Some little lake in the middle of no where in northern Michigan. We loved it. Oh and of course the good ole canvas tent. I still remember the smell of the canvas. Fond memories.

 

How does Eastern Tennessee compare with Northern Michigan as fast as country side goes? Both wooded?

Towards the end I didn't take care of that 1,000 pound monster tent and it got some mildew/mold in/on it. Talk about smells you remember. Wake up in the morning with a headache!

Bibsoutdoors

 

Here in east Tennessee we have more oaks, hickory, and popular trees. We are sort of tropical with mountains. We have ticks. Copper heads, and rattle snakes, but not many mosquitos. We have opossums, wild pigs and turkeys. One night on the way to work i came around a curve in the road, and there stood 2 opossums. I would've missed em both if they stayed together, but they ran in opposite direction of each other. I have never seen a porcupine around here. We have lots of red clay here to. If you walk barefoot in that stuff, you'll never get the orange stain off your feet. That's probably why the UT football team's color is orange. We have no swamps or natural lakes on this end of the state. West Tennessee is alot different. They have some swamps and cypress trees and it is pretty flat.

In Michigan I lived 35 miles south of the upper peninsula and mackinaw bridge. The 45th latitude ran near the little town of Gaylord where I lived. I think the skeeter should've been the state bird. Gaylord Michigan and this part of Tennessee are pretty much very wooded. I think there is alot more vines and underbrush here in the south. Some areas look impenetrable. Michigan has more birch, aspens, sugar maple and pine trees. We moved to tn in 75 I was only 10 years old, so I may not be a good spokesman for Michigan.

The worst months here for camping, in my opinion, are August and September because it is so hot. January and February can be iffy months because of cold rain and dreary weather, we don't get a lot of snow.

 

Aaaaahhhhh, minus the ticks, copperheads, rattlesnakes and other nasty critters it sounds like heaven. My wife retires in 10 months (I can't even begin to tell you how happy that makes me!) We are looking for a place possibly an acreage that has trees on it so that in those times when camping is a must but we can't get away we can drift into a little wooded area and set up. Or, find a place like I had in Idaho when I lived there. Out my back door into the car and 10 minutes later I was in a national forest. We are currently looking at places in South Dakota's Black Hills National Forests. So far it looks like the world has beaten us to it with people selling multi-million dollar homes...never in my wildest dreams will I own such a place. Two fold reasons, 1. I could never afford it. 2. Even if I had the money...million dollar home...that goes against my grain. If I had that kind of money I'd like to see a sanctuary for abandoned and unwanted dogs. A place they could grow old and die with dignity and NO fears. A place with plenty to eat, comfy places to sleep and lots of room to run. Ohhhh, dreams. Anyway, man I get off topic easily anymore. We are continuing to look, places close by to camp are as essential to us as a bathroom in the house! Ha ha. It sounds as if you live in a nice location, especially minus many mosquitos! Are cooperhead snakes as shy as rattlesnakes? Man, talk about double trouble...freaks me out! In South Dakota they have rattlesnakes of course, Timber Rattlers at that, big devils, but I think they are shy and would prefer to avoid any contact which is just fine with me. I claim we are looking in triple threat areas, rattlesnakes, mountain lions, bear country, well intellect has never been my closest companion. Well, leaving Michigan at 10 years of age, you might be considered a true Tennessean! It would be fun to have you go back and see if you remembered the main landmarks today like you perceived them as a child. I enjoyed hearing the differences in trees, thank you for that as well. So, you are off on a camping trip in a couple of weeks. I hope you share with us the prep time as well as the trip itself. Looking forward to your report! Cheers Killeroy!

Bibsoutdoors

 

Yes I need to get my stuff together. I pack very light see "light packing" this was an overnight trip. You should see how I pack for 4 nights.

 

Jesus, Mary and Joseph!!!!! WOW, I see, light as a feather (encased in concrete!) Lol. Wait...is that a kitchen sink peeling out from under that covering?

Bibsoutdoors

 

Yeh I had trouble with packing the fridge. I had to put it behind me in the canoe. We will be taking my brothers boat it's a 19 footer with a 90 horse outboard. I love canoe camping but these large lakes and big boats don't get along. We may travel 10 miles from camp looking for fishing spots, so canoe is a little slow.

 

Sounds like it's going to be an absolute best time. I just can't believe the pictures that are being posted here. If you continue to catch fish like this I hope you will post them. Good luck killeroy!

Bibsoutdoors

 

My first camping trip is together with my father and uncles when they escorted the boy scouts of my older brother. It was in the nearby province where we rode a truck and stayed overnight under the trees just to wait for the sunlight before walking for 4 hours. It was very rigorous for a 12-year old like me but I was too excited to feel the fatigue. I remember bringing a pack of candies that I had been eating all the way to the campsite. The boy scouts were envious of me because I was like a celebrity since I was not a boy scout and I could do what I please. The campsite was the homestead area of my father’s friend. It was like a paradise with lots of fruits trees. What I remember most were the fruiting guava trees that gave us boys a grand time picking.

 

It is amazing how no matter what pain you are in or how exhausted you are wondering what is around the next bend keeps you going. Its that excitement of not knowing what is next that keeps you going.

 

The more I think about what it is you have said, the stronger I agree with you. How many times in life have I done this very thing......countless.

Northern Dancer said to me once, there are intelligent, caring, humble, humorous, I don't remember all he said, people in this forum. He is so correct! Man, I'm so pleased to be part of this forum, and to my knowledge, no one has tried to run me off yet! BONUS!

Bibsoutdoors

 

Great picture right there, thanks for sharing it. Yeah, you don't carry much, but all in all we don't need to take many things along, even more when we are using a boat to get there. Nice setup overall, great experience I am guessing.