Setting up your tent in a wind...

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Howling wind. It can torment us in the backcountry. But few are the camp sites, especially above tree line, that the wind won’t find. It's always blowing on Red Pine Lake. Perhaps the most frustrating of the windy-weather camp tasks is setting up your tent and shelter. I certainly had that experience when trying desperately to set up my tent in P.E.I. The winds howled around me like ghosts coming out of the sky. On top of that a group of my colleagues gathered to watch the spectral of me wrestling the wind. I finally gave up in frustration and waited to the early evening when things had calmed down.

So here are some tips should you find yourself in a similar circumstance.

- Pick the right site

When picking a tent site, consider which way the wind is blowing. Position the narrowest part of your tent, usually the foot, into the wind so that your tent isn’t a great big sail. Once I had a dome tent that I failed to secure - and I found myself running across an open field to catch up with it before it disappeared over the horizon. Also, look for natural features like trees or boulders that could serve as windbreaks. Examine the site for "widow makers" and other dangers.
- Use some heavier pieces of equipment as an anchor.
- Get your poles ready first and have all the necessary pegs and guy lines ready to use.
- Stake out the windward side of tent

With two tent stakes in hand, unpack the tent body first. Grab the tent by whatever side will be facing the wind and let the wind blow the tent body away from you. Then stake down this side of the tent. If you are using a "foot" slide it under when your tent is up.

Now you can place your poles, attach the rain fly if you have one, and check the guy lines for proper tension.

If there is more than one of you team up and set up one tent at a time.
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This reminds me of our family camping trip when my parents were still alive. My siblings and their families were there too. What made the overnight trip more exciting was that we would sleep in tents. Before dusk, we pitched the tents. After dinner, we had activities. It was all fun until we retired. That's when I noticed the flapping sound of the tents because of the strong winds. The noise tormented me that I lay awake all night.