Great Camping Trip This Weekend

[scottbtdmb]

Greetings Brothers!

Just wanted to let all the camping fans on here know that I went on a really great camping trip this weekend with two buddies. First of all, let me just say that for the past 10 years or so, it has been a tradition that every year we do at least one "rugged" camping trip together. I am talking about parking your car at a bridge on some backwoods dirt road, throwing some backpack gear on, and hiking roughly a mile and a half back through somewhat treacherous terrain before hitting the campsite. The campsite itself is wonderful and sits right up from a creek bed, complete with two waterfalls and surrounded by trees. Every time we go to this particular spot, we always try to step up the efficiency of backpacking and the consolidation of necessities that we need. This time we brought back a water filtration system with 3 empty gallon jugs. One jug was used to gather water from the creek, the second jug was used for the filtered water, and the third jug was used for the finished product after we had boiled the filtered water just to be safe. This worked like a charm and saved us a lot of room in the backpack coolers for more important things like beer!!! Secondly, more room was spared in the cooler since we brought dry food packs for dinner, which actually aren't that bad if you get the right ones (red beans and rice is the best!). Finally, instead of carrying wood back with us, we brought a saw and a hatchet and utilized some surrounding logs in the campsite to their fullest. Between all of these improvements, it was much easier negotiating the hike back to the campsite, which is only a mile or so at the most, but has a lot of hilly terrain, narrow paths, and plenty of drop off embankments to keep you honest and sober on the hike back!
Probably the best part of this particular trip was the weather. The low was around 64, the sky was nice and clear, and if we wouldn't have known any better, we would have thought we were camping in the Fall instead of in the middle of August!!! Pipe and cigar wise, I brought a nice La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero that I enjoyed at one point, as well as a few pipes and tobaccos. Oddly enough, the best smoke came in the early morning hours after I had just finished brewing some Espresso roast coffee in my mini french press (another must for camping). I poured my coffee and packed up a bowl of Solani Aged Burley Flake in a corn cob. It was sheer pleasure drinking the coffee, smoking a simple burley in a cob, and watching (and listening to) the rushing waterfall below emptying its bounty into the creek.
Overall, it is always the simple things in life like camping that make it all worthwhile. In this case, with no rangers or park fees to worry about, it could also be said about this trip that "the best things in life are free"! More so than anything though, it is all about the strong bond between three friends that have been camping together for over 10 years and have known each other since middle school. We had some deep conversations during the night, reminisced a couple times about times long past, and most of all did a lot of laughing! Admittedly, I did bring my tiny ipod docking station and we enjoyed a lot of great music as well, including some classic jazz and Delta blues! All in all, it was a perfect trip, and while we hope to go one last time in the Fall, we all agreed that if this winds up being the final camping trip of 2011, we certainly went out with a bang!

-Scott

 

[hunter_185]

OK...backcountry packing is great – but you forgot horses to carry your gear! Just think of how much more beer you can get out there with a couple of pack horses. I like the way you started by ‘roughing it’ and ended up with an ipod and French press! Got a laugh out of that one. I just got back from a few days camping as well. Took the horses out with some friends. We camped at an open site too – no real campground so no fees or anything either. Right on the river too, so didn’t have to haul water that far and the horses had a close place to drink. Did a couple really cool rides to some waterfalls and headed back to the campsite and cooked everything over the fire. It was one of those perfect camping nights; not too cold, just a very slight breeze and stars above. We were all sitting around the fire having a few drinks. I’d always wanted to smoke a pipe around a campfire, but have kind of been a ‘secret’ pipe smoker – i.e. none of my friends know I even own a pipe! So I thought to hell with it, I’m going for it. I took my pipe out, and methodically started to fill it. It was dark with the fire as our only light source, so my actions for some time went unnoticed. Eventually one girl looked at me and said, “Hey, are you filling a pipe?” I said, “Yep! I always thought it would be cool to smoke a pipe around the campfire.” Oddly enough that was about the end of any discussion. I put the tobacco pouch back in my slicker pocket, and started the lighting process. After it was going good and I was kicking back obviously enjoying my pipe, one of the guys said, “I smoked a pipe once. I was with a friend that smoked a pipe, and tried it out, it was cool!” But I have to say – around the campfire on a great night in the mountains is one of THE best places to have a pipe!

 

[scottbtdmb]

OK...backcountry packing is great – but you forgot horses to carry your gear! Just think of how much more beer you can get out there with a couple of pack horses. I like the way you started by ‘roughing it’ and ended up with an ipod and French press! Got a laugh out of that one. I just got back from a few days camping as well. Took the horses out with some friends. We camped at an open site too – no real campground so no fees or anything either. Right on the river too, so didn’t have to haul water that far and the horses had a close place to drink. Did a couple really cool rides to some waterfalls and headed back to the campsite and cooked everything over the fire. It was one of those perfect camping nights; not too cold, just a very slight breeze and stars above. We were all sitting around the fire having a few drinks. I’d always wanted to smoke a pipe around a campfire, but have kind of been a ‘secret’ pipe smoker – i.e. none of my friends know I even own a pipe! So I thought to hell with it, I’m going for it. I took my pipe out, and methodically started to fill it. It was dark with the fire as our only light source, so my actions for some time went unnoticed. Eventually one girl looked at me and said, “Hey, are you filling a pipe?” I said, “Yep! I always thought it would be cool to smoke a pipe around the campfire.” Oddly enough that was about the end of any discussion. I put the tobacco pouch back in my slicker pocket, and started the lighting process. After it was going good and I was kicking back obviously enjoying my pipe, one of the guys said, “I smoked a pipe once. I was with a friend that smoked a pipe, and tried it out, it was cool!” But I have to say – around the campfire on a great night in the mountains is one of THE best places to have a pipe!

Thanks for posting your camping story! It is always great to hear about others that share the love of rugged camping. As far as the ipod and French press go, while they certainly don't meet the specs of "roughing it", good music and coffee are an important part of our camping tradition, and fortunately it is a lot more convenient to bring an ipod/mini French Press than a boom box and a percolator (lol!). Anyways, very cool that you decided to break out the pipe around the campfire. I was a little shy about breaking out my pipe around friends when I first started, but once I got brave enough to do so, I eventually wound up sparking enough interest amongst my friends that a few of them took up the pipe themselves!!! We always have a tradition now where we smoke a bowl of Burley in a corn cob around the campfire. Something about a cob with some good old fashioned Burley around a roaring fire!!! Good times. Definitely keep me posted about future camping trips. Hopefully, more Brothers will post camping stories as the Fall approaches. Always good to hear camping stories, especially from people living in different parts of the country (even world). Thanks again!

-Scott

 

[WaydeG]

My wife's idea of roughing it is a hotel with no pull down service. She's a NY city girl. Got her and the kids out to Broken Bow OK to a rustic cabin on the river. Its nice to know something so simple like burgers and hot dogs grilled over an open campfire can help a family build a stronger bond. It was one of the best evenings in recent memory. Talking with family and relaxing with a pipe and beverage. Going again in November.
Now if I can just talk her into bow hunting.