Camping Notes
In my adult life I’ve hardly ever camped. Not never. The family would camp at state parks, as a kid, and on my grandparents forest property in Michigan I was exposed to the forest. But throughout high school I had less and less experience in the wild. Some of my former close friends went off to be in the woods, even study it. While the rest moved into the city, whether for a career or to be somewhere bigger, for whatever reason. Being homeless on-and-off for years I’ve obviously slept outside and in other less-than-conventional places.
I’ve got a job soon that’ll require me to live in the woods. I’ve accumulated gear and spent the last few nights taking notes on my camping experiments. I thought they might at least be interesting. I didn’t intend to share these notes, they were for myself, originally, but I started to think I might share them.
4/28 First night went well.
Tent setup was extremely simple. Very sturdy tent very roomy for one person. Kelty Ashcroft 3 Pick up extra stakes.
Missing a leg on cot but it’s not really a problem. Cot fits well in the tent. Kijaro Native
Need a knife. This item wasn’t on my equipment list for some odd reason and I haven’t had a knife in a long time but it was apparent this might be the most vital piece I’m missing
Fried hamburger and mushrooms in a skillet over a small fire. I need a way to hold the skillet over the fire. I also need a better way to clean the skillet. Towels, glove. I also need a better way to transport food. Plastic containers. I also really need a better system for cleaning utensils
Bag was warm enough. It’s a light weight 55degree bag. Might need something warmer up north.
Woke up really late/early and had to piss. I picked up my AM FM radio and when I turned it on I heard George Nory’s voice, very faintly. I noticed the antenna was inside the shell of the device and couldn’t extend it. Luckily, I had the correct size screwdriver to open it from poking around my old, failing MacBook and I fixed it. It’s a simple little radio but it literally played all night on two AA batteries and I’m listening to a local morning show on it right now. Westinghouse WST100
A distant aspiration for this project is to go analog. My phone ought to be replaced and I was thinking about getting a keyboard for writing. I also want an ereader. I’ve also wanted to replace my old og Canon 5D. But maybe the simpler solution for these things are notebooks, an analog camera, and, well, books.
Wet wipes
4/29
I got a little sloppy last evening. I intended to get back to the chore of finishing Absalom, Absalom. Fuck Faulkner was one sense fucker. But I did successfully do more experimenting in the kitchen.
Mushrooms (and salt) are my favorite ingredient(s). I got a knife. It’s a shitty knife but it worked for cutting down small brush and cutting up the shrooms. I added sausage meat and cheese after playing around cooking a few mushrooms. Despite turning my skillet into a greasy mess it was a filling, heart clogging meal. I now have a single work glove to pick up the pan and found the (what should’ve been obvious) solution of balancing the skillet on two rocks.
Speaking of shitty and obvious, I’ve slowly realized how much I’ve overlooked my bathroom situation. I’m in a nearby construction porta potty right now. I still need to pick up some wet wipes.
Breakfast needs to be considered.
Water also needs to be considered. The creek I’m next to is stagnant and I honestly wouldn’t use it to clean my skillet let alone drink it. For now I’ve got a gallon jug I picked up at Walmart
Something was creeping around my tent this mornin. Is talk radio an effective bear deterrent? Maybe Joe Rogan.. ha
I went back to sleep and woke up around 9:00AM. I had a dream about a train. I thought I was in London and after a long descent into a maze of staircases I got in the Tube (subway) and sat near the front where it had a windshield and apparently no conductor. I don’t remember when it happened but suddenly we were out in a beautiful country landscape with mountains that’s probably more analogous to Switzerland.
I don’t have cellular internet right now but I heard on the radio it’s going to rain this weekend and there was overcast. So I thought I’d either just stay where I was or tear down and head to store. I have some cheese and jerky sausages but I need some cigarettes so to prevent this new gear from getting stolen or destroyed I decided to tear down.
I got a camping towel which I’ve used to clean out the skillet. I lit up another little stick fire and put some water in the pan. Boiled off the cheese and (most of) the other grease. I used the towel with some olive oil to wipe out the rest. It still smells like beef fat but I figure it’ll be fine when I get it hot again. That’s seasoning right? I’ve cooked in enough kitchens to know they aren’t the most hygienic places anyway.
I timed how long it took to tear down camp on my watch and I got a little distracted a few times. Listening to the news, brushing my teeth, just fumbling around, etcetera. The time came out to be about forty minutes… I could easily cut that down to ten.
The radio I mentioned above is still going strong on the same two AA batteries. I don’t even remember where I got it, Florida? It seems like an extremely cheap device. But the one surprising thing about it is the battery life. I wish my GameBoy had this kind of battery life. I reason that in the past two days I’ve had it playing for about twelve to fifteen hours. But before that I’d always have it playing while I got ready in the morning. It’s put in a workweek, at least.
Sun came out. I guess it’s supposed to rain late tonight.
4/30 It did in fact rain last night. No problems though. I suppose the rustling in the leaves must’ve been birds and maybe squirrels.
I’d still like to get a quality knife but that, to me, is an item that I’d like to buy new and of somewhat premium quality, it’s especially personal like my wallet, although I should get a new wallet, it’s falling apart, but this one works.
I almost left my skillet. It’s useful for making hot meals but it’s heavy. I might get an even smaller one. Lodge sells one that’s about 4”-5” which is fine for one person. I did end up taking my current one with me and my pack is full though not as heavy as I thought yesterday, that is, without water, food, or pack out.
Speaking of garbage, the shitting situation has been improving with wet wipes.
My radio might have a faltering connection. Although the Duracell AAs are still going strong, it started cutting in and out this morning.
I need criticism, ideas, and tips for long term hiking. I may tackle the AT alone once I can.
A few specific questions I have is how heavy peoples packs are. I haven’t weighed mine but it’s at least thirty pounds.
All of my gear is pretty damn compact but it’s still a pain to lug around.
What do you personally do about food if you’re out of town for more than a couple nights?
What do you keep in your bag vs out and how do you personally go about hanging it?
How do you go about hygiene if you’re out there for a week or more? I was particularly having trouble cleaning my pan, washing my clothes, and, least of all, cleaning myself. Cheers.
In my adult life I’ve hardly ever camped. Not never. The family would camp at state parks, as a kid, and on my grandparents forest property in Michigan I was exposed to the forest. But throughout high school I had less and less experience in the wild. Some of my former close friends went off to be in the woods, even study it. While the rest moved into the city, whether for a career or to be somewhere bigger, for whatever reason. Being homeless on-and-off for years I’ve obviously slept outside and in other less-than-conventional places.
I’ve got a job soon that’ll require me to live in the woods. I’ve accumulated gear and spent the last few nights taking notes on my camping experiments. I thought they might at least be interesting. I didn’t intend to share these notes, they were for myself, originally, but I started to think I might share them.
4/28 First night went well.
Tent setup was extremely simple. Very sturdy tent very roomy for one person. Kelty Ashcroft 3 Pick up extra stakes.
Missing a leg on cot but it’s not really a problem. Cot fits well in the tent. Kijaro Native
Need a knife. This item wasn’t on my equipment list for some odd reason and I haven’t had a knife in a long time but it was apparent this might be the most vital piece I’m missing
Fried hamburger and mushrooms in a skillet over a small fire. I need a way to hold the skillet over the fire. I also need a better way to clean the skillet. Towels, glove. I also need a better way to transport food. Plastic containers. I also really need a better system for cleaning utensils
Bag was warm enough. It’s a light weight 55degree bag. Might need something warmer up north.
Woke up really late/early and had to piss. I picked up my AM FM radio and when I turned it on I heard George Nory’s voice, very faintly. I noticed the antenna was inside the shell of the device and couldn’t extend it. Luckily, I had the correct size screwdriver to open it from poking around my old, failing MacBook and I fixed it. It’s a simple little radio but it literally played all night on two AA batteries and I’m listening to a local morning show on it right now. Westinghouse WST100
A distant aspiration for this project is to go analog. My phone ought to be replaced and I was thinking about getting a keyboard for writing. I also want an ereader. I’ve also wanted to replace my old og Canon 5D. But maybe the simpler solution for these things are notebooks, an analog camera, and, well, books.
Wet wipes
4/29
I got a little sloppy last evening. I intended to get back to the chore of finishing Absalom, Absalom. Fuck Faulkner was one sense fucker. But I did successfully do more experimenting in the kitchen.
Mushrooms (and salt) are my favorite ingredient(s). I got a knife. It’s a shitty knife but it worked for cutting down small brush and cutting up the shrooms. I added sausage meat and cheese after playing around cooking a few mushrooms. Despite turning my skillet into a greasy mess it was a filling, heart clogging meal. I now have a single work glove to pick up the pan and found the (what should’ve been obvious) solution of balancing the skillet on two rocks.
Speaking of shitty and obvious, I’ve slowly realized how much I’ve overlooked my bathroom situation. I’m in a nearby construction porta potty right now. I still need to pick up some wet wipes.
Breakfast needs to be considered.
Water also needs to be considered. The creek I’m next to is stagnant and I honestly wouldn’t use it to clean my skillet let alone drink it. For now I’ve got a gallon jug I picked up at Walmart
Something was creeping around my tent this mornin. Is talk radio an effective bear deterrent? Maybe Joe Rogan.. ha
I went back to sleep and woke up around 9:00AM. I had a dream about a train. I thought I was in London and after a long descent into a maze of staircases I got in the Tube (subway) and sat near the front where it had a windshield and apparently no conductor. I don’t remember when it happened but suddenly we were out in a beautiful country landscape with mountains that’s probably more analogous to Switzerland.
I don’t have cellular internet right now but I heard on the radio it’s going to rain this weekend and there was overcast. So I thought I’d either just stay where I was or tear down and head to store. I have some cheese and jerky sausages but I need some cigarettes so to prevent this new gear from getting stolen or destroyed I decided to tear down.
I got a camping towel which I’ve used to clean out the skillet. I lit up another little stick fire and put some water in the pan. Boiled off the cheese and (most of) the other grease. I used the towel with some olive oil to wipe out the rest. It still smells like beef fat but I figure it’ll be fine when I get it hot again. That’s seasoning right? I’ve cooked in enough kitchens to know they aren’t the most hygienic places anyway.
I timed how long it took to tear down camp on my watch and I got a little distracted a few times. Listening to the news, brushing my teeth, just fumbling around, etcetera. The time came out to be about forty minutes… I could easily cut that down to ten.
The radio I mentioned above is still going strong on the same two AA batteries. I don’t even remember where I got it, Florida? It seems like an extremely cheap device. But the one surprising thing about it is the battery life. I wish my GameBoy had this kind of battery life. I reason that in the past two days I’ve had it playing for about twelve to fifteen hours. But before that I’d always have it playing while I got ready in the morning. It’s put in a workweek, at least.
Sun came out. I guess it’s supposed to rain late tonight.
4/30 It did in fact rain last night. No problems though. I suppose the rustling in the leaves must’ve been birds and maybe squirrels.
I’d still like to get a quality knife but that, to me, is an item that I’d like to buy new and of somewhat premium quality, it’s especially personal like my wallet, although I should get a new wallet, it’s falling apart, but this one works.
I almost left my skillet. It’s useful for making hot meals but it’s heavy. I might get an even smaller one. Lodge sells one that’s about 4”-5” which is fine for one person. I did end up taking my current one with me and my pack is full though not as heavy as I thought yesterday, that is, without water, food, or pack out.
Speaking of garbage, the shitting situation has been improving with wet wipes.
My radio might have a faltering connection. Although the Duracell AAs are still going strong, it started cutting in and out this morning.
I need criticism, ideas, and tips for long term hiking. I may tackle the AT alone once I can.
A few specific questions I have is how heavy peoples packs are. I haven’t weighed mine but it’s at least thirty pounds.
All of my gear is pretty damn compact but it’s still a pain to lug around.
What do you personally do about food if you’re out of town for more than a couple nights?
What do you keep in your bag vs out and how do you personally go about hanging it?
How do you go about hygiene if you’re out there for a week or more? I was particularly having trouble cleaning my pan, washing my clothes, and, least of all, cleaning myself. Cheers.
