When you’re able to keep your campsite clean, all parties benefit. Besides helping you to camp more comfortably, you’re also making the lives of fellow campers easier and keeping the local environment preserved for future generations of outdoor lovers. But, much like housework, cleaning at the campsite is often seen as a tedious chore – …
An Intro to Off-Trail Hiking
A quality common among almost all hikers is the strong desire to explore and discover. The sense of wonder and peace you get when making your way through snaking wooded paths and natural terrain is tough to beat. For some experienced hikers, the best of that feeling comes when exploring truly untouched areas – the …
Tips for Making Your Hikes More Enjoyable
Whether you hike for exercise or sheer enjoyment of nature, the whole point of hitting the tail instead of hitting the sidewalk is to enjoy yourself. Unfortunately, factors from pain, to fatigue, and even boredom can put a damper on what you would normally savor. If you’ve been stuck in that oft-feared “hiking rut” and …
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How to Practice Proper Campsite Etiquette
As socially responsible members of the outdoor community, it’s important that campers cultivate a sense mutual respect towards one another. When you’re actually at the campsite, this means learning to share certain communal spaces with other campers. Many campgrounds, both public and private, are busy year round – so you can expect to be cohabitating …
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5 Tips for Hygienic Camping
One of the most difficult things to manage while on a trip in the outdoors is personal hygiene. Whether you’re at an established camping facility complete with running water or you’re truly roughing it miles away from the nearest person, keeping clean is often a struggle. Without the modern conveniences we’ve become so accustomed to, …
Outdoor Safety: Handling a Flash Flood
Every year, the coming of spring brings with it a reawakened sense of life. The sun shines longer each day, native wildlife comes out of their winter hiding places, and deciduous forests begin to turn green again. Spring is far from just flowers and sunshine, though. Rising temperatures and quick, powerful air pressure changes make …
Camping Games for the Family
For families that camp enough, the old standbys for fun – scavenger hunts and hiking for instance – can begin to lose their luster after awhile. While they do remain favorites for most, the idea of trying out some alternative camping related activities is certainly worthwhile. If for no other reason than to mix things …
How to Fix an Air Mattress Hole
Many campers prefer the relative comfort of an air mattress as opposed to a sleeping bag when they’re in the woods. Whether it be for health reasons, or just to feel refreshed in the morning from a night of quality sleep, a good air mattress is a godsend for some campers. But bringing an air …
The Wildest Places in North America
If you’re looking for uninhabited and extensive wild places, North America isn’t a bad place to start. In fact, the two principal countries of the continent – the U.S. and Canada — have some of the most varied and well preserved outdoor areas in the world. From the ancient forests of the northern sections of …
Outdoor Safety: Insect Borne Diseases
Though somewhat rare and not very often serious, campers and hikers should nonetheless be wary of insect borne diseases. Along with the pleasure of outdoor activity comes the risk of being bitten and infected by a disease carrying bug. And while many of these illnesses are confined to tropical and subtropical climates, the potential for …