I did a lot of backpacking in my younger days. Enjoyed it a lot. Now at age 73, I prefer our truck camper on our 4x4. We still get into the back country. Only now I can stay for several weeks (if I plan it right).

We hike during the day and return to the comforts in the evening. Best of both worlds.

Our life is simple, sort of, but we have all we really need. I don't know if you call that camping or not. Don't care what you call it but it gives us access to places we could not ever get to by any other means. And provides the "infrastructure" to support our needs.

Right now we are in a remote part of Maine, on the edge of a large "pond" We will wander about for the summer and then return to southern AZ for the winter. Our route takes us through all the national forests and such that we can.

I could not do this with a tent. Too much work and could not provide the solar power or "facilities" we need for such remote camping...there.. I used the word.. guess I do think of it as camping.

Nomad

Nah, I think that I'm just tired of sleeping on rocks and eating dirty food. I rather enjoy being outdoors, but I like a hot shower at the end of the day.

Every morning when I realize I have to crawl to get out of my bag and tent! For me it's just part of getting older and stiffer. I'm not doing the multi-day backpacking trips like I used to, my body is refusing more often.

As far as the spirit goes, I actually started thinking about renting or buying a Class-B van for the first time last year. There is something to be said about being a turtle.

I actually like the sound of the rain on the tent flysheet. A good storm is also sometimes enjoyable as we get a lot of Atlantic storms blowing in. But the weather can have an effect on others for when misery sets in. The Weather here has been cold, damp and wet this summer. This Wednesday, the weather forecast gives a high temperature of 55F, overcast with the prospect for showery rain, which probably would put a lot of folks off camping. I prefer the backpacking type of camping and trekking as opposed to the organised paid for camp site motoring (with facilities) crowd as it gets you away from the crowd aka the rat race and takes you into more spectacular scenery and wildlife. A camp fire gives an ambiance to the whole adventure.

Planing a camp trip should be done with a loose itinerary and time scale. The pace of life today is far to hectic and it does take time to slow down to a stress free pace out there in the wilderness.

Having others in the group saying 'are we there yet' is a particular annoyance along with the snorers.

As an occasional backpacker, I've really gotten into car camping in remote locations. Its a whole different logistical challenge; fuel, water, gear, tools, etc. And from there you can day trip or overnight out as far as you want to go. Of course in the west/southwest its a bit different than the northeast.

I find its easier than planning a strickly backpacking trip because you can have pre-packed storage bins ready to go. Throw them in the car/truck and you're off.

I used to backpack a lot when I was younger. But that kind of slows down as you age. Now I just do the car camping thing. Our annual "Men's Only" camping trip, which has been going on annually for probably 30 years now, is a bunch of us old ambulance paramedics (I should say "ex-paramedics") who still love each others company. It used to be just an overnight campout. Now it's three nights. We don't do any more than we used to ... it just takes us longer to do it.

Night one is always a "wine and exotic cheese" party, and in recent years we've been following up those appetizers with fondue (how's that for "wilderness cooking"?) Next night is usually big 'ol steaks, baked potatoes, salad and some kind of baked cobbler. All washed down with some Jack Daniel's and Coke. The third night is our "back to basics" night. Well, kind of "basics". Typically bratwurst, hamburgers, salmon, etc.

And over those four days/three nights we try to prove that we are still young by mountain biking, hiking, kayaking/canoeing, fishing, slingshot shooting contests and the occassional air pistol competition. Just a bunch of old farts having fun. Oh yeah, and we have real comfortable chairs and hammocks we set out under our sunshades for napping!

A well-timed post. We just got back yesterday from a three day car-camping trip to the Minnesota blufflands.

All the way there the wind buffeted the car, making the drive more challenging. When we arrived however, the wind died to nothing, and with the temperature topping 100 degrees, and the humidity at 100% the air was oppressive and heavy. After setting up camp, I was drenched in sweat. The ground was wet from condensation, and the trees were dripping water. I had some difficulty getting a fire going because the wood was wet, and I had to tie a bandana around my head to keep the sweat out of my eyes while I shaved down some fatwood for kindling. I finally got a good fire going, and almost immediately heard a clap of thunder, followed by a torrential downpour which extinguished my fire.

Sitting in the heat under the fabric canopy watching the heavy rain, wet from top to toes, for the first time ever I told my wife that I thought I might be losing interest in camping. My wife knows me well and just nodded knowingly.

The next day, the sun came up over the tall bluffs around our valley campsite with an eastern exposure, and I was up early brewing a pot of my coveted camp coffee. The droplets of condensation in the trees glowed brightly with all the colors of the spectrum, and I could hear a wild turkey calling behind my camp. One of those living jewels - a Myrtle warbler - chased a moth branch to branch through the camp, as it hunted for it's breakfast. Everything was lush, green, and fragrant.

We finished a hearty breakfast, drained the coffee pot, strapped on daypacks and headed out. Miles of cold, crystal clear water creek teeming with brown trout the size of my forearm. We followed the creek to it's source, taking time to doff the boots and walk in the icy water, and ford the creek using a fallen tree for a bridge. We looked in amazement as the creek gushed out of the base of a 250 foot limestone bluff. We then headed out through the hardwood forest onto the wild mint scented tall prairie. Everything was in bloom and attended by hummingbirds and butterflies. I almost felt like we were on the set of 'Avatar', as we gazed out on the prairie nestled at the base of tall limestone bluffs.

This time we were car-camping a remote state park, and that evening sitting under the stars next to the fire, my wife declared that the problem was that 3 days is not long enough. I thought about that and realized that I don't like being stressed out, hot and wet, but I really do love camping.

Ditto on the sound of rain on the tent. Some of my favorite trips are to the Shenandoah Mountains (100 miles west of Washington, D.C.) where we camp at 3700-feet and the camp can be shrouded all day long in drizzly rain clouds. Even in DC's hottest month - July - it can be cool at camp at night, so I always pack fleece.

EARPLUGS: I keep a package of earplugs in my camp kit as well as airplane carry-on. Crowded campgrounds and hotels are equally annoying when noisy neighbors are nearby or in the hallway. These earplugs enable a good sleep and lessen the temper.

http://www.amazon.com/Hearos-Xtreme-Prot...ywords=earplugs


A key to my car camping zen is this 12' x 12' screenroom (Eureka Northern Breeze). My tents come and go but this screenroom is the mainstay of basecamp. Shelter from bugs and rain (including withstanding a tropical storm that broke one of my tent's poles). 1" shock-corded aluminum poles that connect at a 4-way hub. I can put this up in 15 minutes by myself. I also have the optional snap-in floor. Each wall can roll up or be used as an awning.

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___26300

It's so big I've arrived at camp in thunderstorms, put up the screenroom and then set up my tent inside the screenroom.

The cool thing about the Northern Breeze is that it has rain/shade flaps on all four sides, so you can essentially turn it into a tent. We even have a removable floor for ours. Great screen tent!!

Camping with DS's cub scout pack, we've had to get used to the sound of rain on the tent roof. It's such a common occurrence, the running joke is that it wouldn't be a cub scout campout if it didn't rain.