Tag Archives: Camping

2016 Recap: Favorite Gear, Blog Stats, Favorite Trips, Blah, Blah, Blah

Backpacking, Backpacking Gear, Camping, Travel Trailer, , ,

Well, it’s that time of the year again when many backpacking bloggers create a list of their favorite new gear from the prior year. How on earth (or why) can these folks have a slew of new backpacking gear year after year? Methinks they are focused on gear, not getting out often and walking. But I digress…

Then some of these bloggers publish web stats for their blog during the prior year. Really? How boring.

A few backpacking bloggers may only post some of their favorite pictures taken during the prior year or do a simple recap of some trip reports – I like what some of the “few” do. The rest, meh.

What is interesting is that campers and full time RVers who blog generally don’t do this. They simply keep writing about their adventures.

My backpacking gear hasn’t changed much in the past 4 or 5 years, so nothing to write about here. Same goes for our camping gear. Somewhere on this website are lists of the gear and equipment we use. You should be able to easily find those if you are interested.

Given this pessimistic outlook on gear, there is one piece of equipment that has been critical for every single backpacking or camping trip I have done since 2003.

Continue reading 2016 Recap: Favorite Gear, Blog Stats, Favorite Trips, Blah, Blah, Blah →

Anniversary Camping Trip

Camping, ,

Our wedding anniversary is September 7th and it was the 11th (out of 12) anniversary we spent camping. We would have been 12 out of 12, except last year we were sans camper after vandals destroyed it.

I am lucky (or I chose well) because Joyce loves to go camping. It doesn’t matter when or where we camp, camping almost always takes a priority. She doesn’t camp to make me happy, she does it for herself.

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This year we headed up to the mountains. After several trips the past couple months in the desert, the mountains would be a refreshing difference.

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backpacking trip cancelled. went camping instead.

Camping,

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Over the past several years I have made a Memorial Day Weekend tradition of hiking what I call the San Jacinto Loop. One would be hard pressed to find a more varied and diverse 60 mile route in just about any place in North America; maybe anywhere in the planet. Due to a route that passes through 5 climatic zones, Memorial Day timing is about perfect. Not too hot in the desert and not too cold in the alpine zone. You can read about the 2009 and 2010 trips.

But this year I had to cancel.

Continue reading backpacking trip cancelled. went camping instead. →

Return to Guajome and some discoveries

Camping,

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A month ago we camped at Guajome Regional Park in Oceanside, CA. I wrote about it here.

Upon our return home, I noticed there was a group from PUX (https://www.popupexplorer.com/forum/) planning a camping trip to Guajome the first week of May. Sounded interesting and I posted the following:

We have never been ones to camp with a group. Actually we have only done it once; in 2005 we went to the PUX gathering in RMNP —

But the RMNP gathering was a lot of fun and I made several friends there.

To be honest we have gone camping with others only 4 times in addition to the RMNP trip. We once camped in Oak Creek Canyon, AZ with EveryBodyHauls (who no longer posts here) and thrice we have camped with my wife’s boss.

In fact we rarely even camp in an improved campground. All this being said… we have camped at Guajome twice. Once was last week at site #21. We had a nice time.

Plus I think Wayne and I have a lot in common and it would be nice to meet him (and of course the rest of the group).

So… we have reserved site #21 again for May 2 – 4. Be nice to us, this is a new endeavor and we may not know how to socialize. 🙂

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1,000 Sunsets and 1,000 Sunrises

Camping

Joyce and I just surpassed our 1,000th night of camping together

This wasn’t a goal or even something I was closely tracking. We started camping as a couple just before we were married in 2002. Considering the fact that we both have full time jobs, getting out nearly 100 nights per year really wasn’t that difficult; although for most people it would be impossible to do because they are to busy dealing with life, instead of living life. I wrote about this in Managing Your Recreation Inventory.

For us, camping isn’t about sitting around a campsite, but about spending time together in the wilderness, which includes hiking, fishing, boating, stargazing, and even generally doing nothing but talking and listening to one another.

We have enjoyed the lowest and highest deserts, the heights of the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains, rivers, lakes, streams, oceans, and the deepest canyons. We have seen wildlife of all kinds. We have experienced extreme heat, freezing cold, snow, rain, and balmy weather.

A few pictures from the past…

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A Birthday Camping Trip @ Guajome

Camping,

A SPECIAL DAY

2014-04-06-6

Yesterday was Joyce’s xx-something birthday. Seems many women don’t like their age disclosed when they hit “milestone” birthdays. Not sure if Joyce minds age disclosure, so I won’t tell you how young she is.

In celebration of her birthday we could have done many things, but Joyce decided she wanted to do a special camping trip. After 13 consecutive camping trips in the desert, she wanted to go somewhere that had lots of green trees and plants, and cool moisture laden air — translation: near the ocean. More than that, she wanted to go to Guajome. This actually surprised me; not her wanting to go to Guajome, but that she wanted to go camping. I had visions of her wanting to do a weekend getaway to a 5 Star resort and/or dinner at an upscale restaurant.

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Backpacking/Camping Decision Tree

Backpacking, Camping, General Talk,

JT 2014-03-27

It appears that my wife has a “Bucket List” and a To Do List.

I have neither.

Her To Do List includes fixing a leak in the roof, which is required before the interior remodel can be completed. The remodel started in 2000; the roof leak appeared a few years later.

So this week I put the roof issue on my own To Do List, which was completely empty – actually I had to create a list. However it was too windy outside this week.

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Managing Your Recreation Inventory

Backpacking Gear, Camping, General Talk, , ,

Inventory Clip ArtNo, this isn’t about gear. A while back I wrote an article about backpacking gear getting boring. So is camping gear.

It is time to talk about getting out into the wilderness and actually using your gear.

Sometimes I am amazed by the amount of time so many folks spend on the Internet talking about camping or backpacking, but not really going out and actually doing it. So many people talk about not having the time to camp or hike. Here is a little secret, you can go camping and/or backpacking over 100 days per year and work full time!

Before you say, “But I don’t live close to wild areas,” consider doing this: MOVE

If getting outdoors is important, which I assume is true for most people who spend days on end on Internet forums talking about it, then move if you live far from recreational opportunities.

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