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  • Camping Philosophy

    I've been Jonesing to get out and do a trip, spring fever I guess, and I got to thinking about my evolution of camping over the years.

    Most people seem to be all about carrying as little as they can, going as far and as fast and they can and spending as little time as possible with the actual "living" of tripping. I guess some people seem to go the other way and bring everything but the kitchen sink.

    My philosophy for the past few years has been to carry as little as possible, but focus on bringing food I enjoy and spending a good deal of time cooking and processing wood. I'm not UL by any means, and I still use some dehydrated foods, but I do most all my cooking over a fire and eat stuff I want to eat.

    I found that I spend a lot of time processing wood and cooking, and thus less time actually going somewhere, but I've found the entire experience entirely more enjoyable. I love cooking with wood and taking an hour or two to prepare a meal. It always tastes amazing. It also keeps me busy around camp. In my younger years I used to eat simple and always cook with a stove. Now I carry a very simple one, but rarely use it but to boil some water for tea while I'm getting a fire going. Anyway, I know of people who don't even cook on trips because they don't want to spend the time doing "living" chores and spend more time moving... What I found is that when I used to go like that, I never enjoyed everything as much. I always felt like I was eager to get to the next stage. Something as simple as planning extra time for cooking and eating made me slow down and enjoy my surroundings more.

  • #2
    Originally posted by montcalm View Post
    I've been Jonesing to get out and do a trip, spring fever I guess, and I got to thinking about my evolution of camping over the years.

    Most people seem to be all about carrying as little as they can, going as far and as fast and they can and spending as little time as possible with the actual "living" of tripping. I guess some people seem to go the other way and bring everything but the kitchen sink.

    My philosophy for the past few years has been to carry as little as possible, but focus on bringing food I enjoy and spending a good deal of time cooking and processing wood. I'm not UL by any means, and I still use some dehydrated foods, but I do most all my cooking over a fire and eat stuff I want to eat.

    I found that I spend a lot of time processing wood and cooking, and thus less time actually going somewhere, but I've found the entire experience entirely more enjoyable. I love cooking with wood and taking an hour or two to prepare a meal. It always tastes amazing. It also keeps me busy around camp. In my younger years I used to eat simple and always cook with a stove. Now I carry a very simple one, but rarely use it but to boil some water for tea while I'm getting a fire going. Anyway, I know of people who don't even cook on trips because they don't want to spend the time doing "living" chores and spend more time moving... What I found is that when I used to go like that, I never enjoyed everything as much. I always felt like I was eager to get to the next stage. Something as simple as planning extra time for cooking and eating made me slow down and enjoy my surroundings more.
    You must be old. So am I.
    In younger days I would be a peak bagger and scene searcher and still am on a rare occasion.
    I have been blessed with having the Adirondack Park within a half hour driving distance from my home. So within a couple hours I can be well into the woods, at some lonely spot, setting up camp, learning to enjoy the woods from a different perspective.
    "A culture is no better than its woods." W.H. Auden

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    • #3
      I am not sure I would agree with "most people" in your second paragraph. I do agree that there are some, but I do not think they are a majority, I would doubt they are even a plurality. I do not know if data even exists for this. I do agree with the idea there is a continuum, and is likely not one dimensional. For myself. I do all types of trips. From day hikes to multi-day long distance with minimal gear, from plop camping to pulk camping focusing on food and camp fun, from multi-day base camp to mobile camp. From lowland lakes and ponds to peaks and cliffs. And I haven't even begun to include the variety which uses a canoe.

      There are so many variations that each one exists on a continuum, so what we have is an n-dimensional space where each point is a model to describe the n-attributes of any given type of trip.
      "There's a whisper on the night-wind, there's a star agleam to guide us, And the Wild is calling, calling . . . let us go." -from "The Call of the Wild" by Robert Service

      My trail journal: DuctTape's Journal

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      • #4
        Camping and hiking are two distinctly different activities.
        We hike or climb to accomplish goals.
        We camp or paddle to enjoy nature at a slower pace.
        Jim

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        • #5
          I paddle to accomplish goals sometimes, or at least to try to accomplish them. On the first few of my annual visits to the Adirondacks by bicycle I would try to see and do too many things sometimes, and get pretty worn out. Now I try to plan some busy days and some restful ones. The first and last days are always the hardest because of the pressure to keep up the pace while riding in order to get where I'm going before dark. I like to take time to eat slowly when I'm camping, but I don't eat right in my campsite unless it's raining or it's late and the mosquitoes are out and I want to be in the tent. I usually camp near water and I prefer to take my food bag and eat somewhere with a view to look at while I chew, and preferably something like a log or a rock to sit on, or a beach to sit on with a rock to lean against. I don't cook anything when I camp, or take any dishes or utensils other than a butterknife. Not having to cook or wash dishes for a week is a nice break, and it's much easier to cook at home. One of my favorite places to eat supper or breakfast is on top of Chimney Mountain, either by the chimney or on the true summit. It's very quiet and peaceful up there when everyone else has left and the views during sunrise and sunset are really lovely.
          Zach

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          • #6
            Wow montcalm, when I read your post I thought I was having a senior moment thinking "did I write this? "

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            • #7
              I'm old enough to have a shred of wisdom, but young enough to still do stuff

              There is no right or wrong way, didn't mean to generalize except for comparison. I still eat dried foods when I go for long periods of time where other foods would be too heavy to carry or spoil.


              I'm not a hunter or angler, but I've often thought based on how much I enjoy "living" outside, that adding that would add another depth of dimension. Unfortunately my philosophy of preservation of the Adirondacks dictates I don't take anything. In another time with less people, my thoughts might be different... or perhaps in another place.
              Last edited by montcalm; 04-10-2017, 10:54 AM.

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              • #8
                To each their own.
                My philosophy.... Have fun, enjoy, keep it clean, and don't be an @$$hole.
                I enjoy year-round camping in the Adirondacks, but I don't get the chance to do many multi-day trips & am usually restricted to 1 night 2 tops, and have never been known to carry a light pack load.
                One change that I've noticed in my own camping habits over the past several years is that I've found myself backpacking much less during the hot & buggy months, and spending more time in the canoe out on the open water fishing, floating, & swimming with a small cooler with a few icy cold refreshments.

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                • #9
                  I like a small cooler with a canoe if I don't have long carries.

                  I mostly eat potatoes and vegetables though, and they really don't need to be kept cold. Beer OTOH

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                  • #10
                    When on the water, the size of my cooler is determined by the size of the vessel.
                    "A culture is no better than its woods." W.H. Auden

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                    • #11
                      As we age, and you all will. (I'm pushing 80.) Things slow down. You may not be needing to take the largest buck, or the biggest fish, or climb the 46's in the shortest time.
                      It's the time to recollect all the things that mean the most.
                      Jim

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Hard Scrabble View Post
                        As we age, and you all will. (I'm pushing 80.) Things slow down. You may not be needing to take the largest buck, or the biggest fish, or climb the 46's in the shortest time.
                        It's the time to recollect all the things that mean the most.
                        Jim
                        80? God bless you and keep on trucking!
                        "A culture is no better than its woods." W.H. Auden

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Zach View Post
                          I don't cook anything when I camp, or take any dishes or utensils other than a butterknife. Not having to cook or wash dishes for a week is a nice break, and it's much easier to cook at home. One of my favorite places to eat supper or breakfast is on top of Chimney Mountain, either by the chimney or on the true summit. It's very quiet and peaceful up there when everyone else has left and the views during sunrise and sunset are really lovely.
                          Zach
                          So I gotta ask -- what do you eat? And why a butter knife?

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by johnnyvirgil View Post
                            so i gotta ask -- what do you eat? And why a butter knife?
                            pb&j?

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                            • #15
                              I don't have a philosophy but I do have goals, which are to enjoy the experience and find it fulfilling. The methodology can be extremely variable throughout multiple dimensions.
                              The best, the most successful adventurer, is the one having the most fun.

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