Do you enjoy camping/the great outdoors?

[FCollinsBuckeye]

That thing would blow all the way to Kansas if I tried to pitch it around these parts.

 

[Dryden]

That thing would blow all the way to Kansas if I tried to pitch it around these parts.

As long as you don't fall out of it, that might be a fun trip.

 

[PlanetFrnd]

As an old Eagle Scout...

My Ordeal was one of the most positive experiences of my youth... loved it.

 

[Gatorubet]

As Acting Scoutmaster of a Troop, I love camping and hiking. I have some respiratory issues that makes it hard for me to carry a 40 lb pack and navigate an uphill trail or path without having to get my breath ( I have about 35-40% lung capacity of a guy my age), but I can hike a level trail under 5000 feet for as long as my scouts can hike.

I enjoy hiking to a campsite more than SUV camping, with all kinds of gear and coolers and food. There is something about hiking six miles to where you are away from the amenities that makes whatever you cook taste better. And they have some great self inflating sleeping pads that help with my old bones after a night sleeping on the ground. I do not like sharing a tent with another adult leader - they all seem to snore - so I carry a 4 lb 2 person tent that is perfect for me and my backpack, and that allows me to sit up and be able to take off and change clothes without hitting my head on the tent roof. My scouts pair up in their tents, which weigh more (2X).

The kids are all so video game oriented that they initially hesitate to go hiking. The parents seem to not want to spend money on a good pack and hiking boots but will buy them the latest gaming stuff without a peep. Having a good backpack to get the weight on their hips makes all the difference, and a hiking boot that offers good support and has a good tread is better than the skateboard sneakers they show up in. :sigh:

But once they actually get to go hiking and see some actual wildlife - and sit around a fire in a forest clearing and see the lighting bugs all around them and hear/see the owls and bob whites/ whippoorwills - it is really worth it to see their eyes get wide and take it in.

 

[Saw31]

As Acting Scoutmaster of a Troop, I love camping and hiking. I have some respiratory issues that makes it hard for me to carry a 40 lb pack and navigate an uphill trail or path without having to get my breath ( I have about 35-40% lung capacity of a guy my age), but I can hike a level trail under 5000 feet for as long as my scouts can hike.

I enjoy hiking to a campsite more than SUV camping, with all kinds of gear and coolers and food. There is something about hiking six miles to where you are away from the amenities that makes whatever you cook taste better. And they have some great self inflating sleeping pads that help with my old bones after a night sleeping on the ground. I do not like sharing a tent with another adult leader - they all seem to snore - so I carry a 4 lb 2 person tent that is perfect for me and my backpack, and that allows me to sit up and be able to take off and change clothes without hitting my head on the tent roof. My scouts pair up in their tents, which weigh more (2X).

The kids are all so video game oriented that they initially hesitate to go hiking. The parents seem to not want to spend money on a good pack and hiking boots but will buy them the latest gaming stuff without a peep. Having a good backpack to get the weight on their hips makes all the difference, and a hiking boot that offers good support and has a good tread is better than the skateboard sneakers they show up in. :sigh:

But once they actually get to go hiking and see some actual wildlife - and sit around a fire in a forest clearing and see the lighting bugs all around them and hear/see the owls and bob whites/ whippoorwills - it is really worth it to see their eyes get wide and take it in.

And then the molestations begin...


:p

 

[Gatorubet]

And then the molestations begin...


:p

I would say you're sick, but then I was the only one starting to laugh when I was first told that youth protection program was called "two deep" :p

Actually, we take it so seriously that it becomes annoying (I almost said "a pain in the ass" but I know who I'm dealing with :p). When a scout's ride is running late I cannot wait for the scout for their parent to pick them up without having another leader wait with us until someone comes to pick the kid up. It is called "two deep" because under no circumstances is an adult ever to be alone with a kid. Not on the drive going to or back from a meeting, or on a camp out, or in their tent talking to them if they are homesick, or if my neighbor wants me to drive their kid to the meeting to save them some time (unless I have another person with me).

Girl Scouts I just lock in the trunk.

 

[Deety]

I loved hiking in the mountains of VA and even more in the mountains above SLC. Hiking a mountain trail at high altitude is the fastest way I've ever found to get in shape and have a blast while doing it. I miss those trips!

Haven't done that many overnight camping trips, but they are much fun as long as the tent is spider-proof. Only had one extended trip planned - four days? Unfortunately, half the group got the flu the week we were going, so it didn't happen. Fortunately, we found out before we left.

 

[jlb1705]

I used to go camping all the time when I was younger. My uncle owned a stretch of abandoned creek/railroad bed north of Urbana, and that was my favorite place to go. You had to clear out your campsite, gather/cut your firewood, we could hunt if we wanted to or bring our own food, etc.

My wife loves the beach and can't stand camping at all. For me, watching and tending to a campfire is as relaxing as a lounge by the beach is for her.

 

[Deety]

Campfires are awesome. I like burning marshmallows and making my hair smell all smoky.

 

[MaliBuckeye]

For my work, I'm required to spend a week here every summer:

It's rough job, but someone has to do it, right?

 

[Gatorubet]

For my work, I'm required to spend a week here every summer:

It's rough job, but someone has to do it, right?

Do they have any starved looking with big heads cut throat trout in there, or is it all glacial melt with no tributary?

 

[BrutusBuckeyeAZ]

My wife and i like to pack in on the horses and sleep under the stars! We bring MRE's, water and a couple of lighters to start a fire. Nothing better than laying on your back looking up at the stars and hearing the coyotes howling in the back ground!

 

[Saw31]

I would say you're sick, but then I was the only one starting to laugh when I was first told that youth protection program was called "two deep" :p

Actually, we take it so seriously that it becomes annoying (I almost said "a pain in the ass" but I know who I'm dealing with :p). When a scout's ride is running late I cannot wait for the scout for their parent to pick them up without having another leader wait with us until someone comes to pick the kid up. It is called "two deep" because under no circumstances is an adult ever to be alone with a kid. Not on the drive going to or back from a meeting, or on a camp out, or in their tent talking to them if they are homesick, or if my neighbor wants me to drive their kid to the meeting to save them some time (unless I have another person with me).

Girl Scouts I just lock in the trunk.

It's sad that all this is necessary, but I'm glad to hear that you guys take the issue so seriously. Unfortunately the pervs gravitate to these types of "jobs/positions". I was never a scout, but I grew up running around in the woods and loved every minute of it. I bet the kids never forget the trips you take them on...

 

[sepia5]

I loved hiking in the mountains of VA and even more in the mountains above SLC. Hiking a mountain trail at high altitude is the fastest way I've ever found to get in shape and have a blast while doing it. I miss those trips!

I just did a 6.5 mile hike out in Shenandoah last Sunday. Really beautiful, but I still prefer my old hiking trails in the Catskill Mountains, the Berkshires, and the Green Mountains of Vermont. Here's some pics we recently took while "tramping" in New Zealand during our honeymoon:

 

[sepia5]

Has anyone done any hiking in Monogahela National Forest in West Virginia? I'm going to be staying near Elkins over Christmas and would like to spend a day hiking somewhere out there. Any recommendations would be welcomed. Is Dolly Sods off limits that time of year?