Camping & The Great Outdoors

[Captain Wiggles]

@Kosher Ham rent a cabin in a state or national forest? Some are basically swanky resorts. 

 

I don't hunt or fish but its just nice to gtf outdoors and away from the city. Tho these days if I want that I just go visit my folks in SW VA.

Edited May 30, 2020 by clietas

[The 12th Commandment]

The forest is my church.  My soul would whither and die if I couldn't get away from everyone now and then.

[Elessar78]

On 5/29/2020 at 10:49 AM, No Excuses said:

After going through many trails in the area, I’ve come to really appreciate the smaller, off the beaten path trails. Less crowded, just as nice as the more popular ones. 
 

There are some really good trails off of Rockville Pike. We really enjoying walking our dog through the Beach Drive trails.

Yeah, we found a small park—old property that used to have a quarry, but there's a beautiful stream that winds through it. It's close and the kids just love it. It's an easy hike, you could do the loops and take about 2 hours. Nature is just great to get back to.

[abdcskins]

I absolutely love nature and the outdoors. Unfortunately I'm not much of a camper, pitching a tent is not in my skill set. I could always learn. Usually I'll go on road trips and stay at a motel somewhere near whatever park I'm visiting.

 

My road trip to Yosemite last year was absolutely amazing. Most beautiful place I think I've ever been, and I've been fortunate to see a lot over the years. Arches National Park in Utah is also very special.

[GoCommiesGo]

We got back a bit ago. Had a great time camp was well maintained and incredibly clean. Everyone was respectful and kept a decent distance. 
 

Kids went swimming in the lake did a few trails and got to be somewhere other than home. 
 

 

[PCS]

I spent most of the first 15 years I lived in Northern Utah,well,living,and not focused on just how amazing some of the places there were and are, Started hitting the road more and started to see more of it. Since moving to Northern Nevada,I've expanded on that love of the outdoors to much of West.  Camping is something I've loved to do and still do. Last big trip was 4 years ago. Wife and I toured 4 of the big 5 in Utah and then spent time in the Northern part of the state,(do not go to sleep on that part of the state. Wasatch/Cache National Forest is expansive and incredible. It's built for all kinds of camping with wide spots literally dug out in areas for some very basic camping).  Anyway. For Arches and Canyonlands,tough to beat the location of the BLM Campgrounds along the Colorado River just north of Moab. Close enough to get to both National Parks in decent time,(though Canyonlands is definitely further away), and not a bad trip along the Colorado either. It was getting to that hot time of the year there and got lucky to find one of the few shady spots out of all the BLM campgrounds there. We drove to every one of them in between trips to both Parks to make sure of this. Drinks Canyon Campground. Picture below. 2 pretty nice spots I circled. One on the right has good shade and room for a medium to large sized tent. One on the left not as much shade,but a great little path to a small flat spot on the shore of the river. Saw folks with lawn chairs set up there. Cool. The first night we were there,we had to drive to last BLM campground and it was quite the drive up there. No coverage,(shade),but man the views were amazing. Upper Onion Creek Campground.  Oh. Middle of the week is always a good time to go.  6 years ago,we did a camping trip in California. Camped at Patrick Point,Salt Point,and Avenue of the Giants. Pitching a tent under Redwoods is kind of cool.  

 

 

 

[kfrankie]

On 5/30/2020 at 10:27 AM, KAOSkins said:

When you get old and tired it damn sure is.  Happily there are no shortage of spots I can park my trailer that are far, far away from anyone else, where I live.  RV parks are not camping, we'll agree on that.

RV parks are basically half the campsites now in MD.  Some campgrounds don't even have trees

[China]

I recommend staying away from the Siberian wilderness:

 

Apocalyptic swarm of deadly mutant ticks invade Russia with 2,125 children attacked

 

Russian Siberia has been rocked by an invasion of blood-sucking ticks that experts said included a new and deadly “mutant” variety.

 

The scale of the swarm left some hospitals – already stretched with rising coronavirus cases and deaths – without vaccines and medicine.

 

It has left some hospitals unable to cope with the onslaught of the mutant ticks.

 

In the Krasnoyarsk region, there are 428 times more ticks than usual – sparking fears of Lyme disease and illnesses that cause brain inflammation.

 

Medics in the region reported some 8,215 tick bites including 2,125 cases that involved children.

 

The suburbs of Krasnoyarsk city are infested with 214 ticks per square kilometre.

 

Normally, the “safe” figure is only 0.5.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

And here in the US, the ticks aren't great either:

 

Tick-borne illness similar to COVID makes resurgence

 

LAKE GEORGE — Anaplasmosis, a tick-borne illness with symptoms similar to COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, is on the rise in the Adirondacks and upstate New York.

 

It’s a concern for state health officials as more people go outside to fight cabin fever amid a wider focus on the pandemic. Some of the symptoms include fever, muscle aches and even respiratory failure, all similar signs of the infectious COVID-19 disease that has killed more than 100,000 people in the United States this year.

 

Anaplasmosis, if left untreated, can also be fatal. The carriers are usually the Ixodes scapularis, commonly known as the deer tick or black-legged tick.

 

“It’s a little challenging to cut through COVID (19) news,” said Byron Backenson, deputy director of the state Health Department’s Bureau of Communicable Disease Control. He and other officials are reminding healthcare providers about tick-borne illnesses, something that might get forgotten with coronavirus on everyone’s minds.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[GoCommiesGo]

We're heading out to Point Lookout State Park this afternoon for a few days. Should be a nice hot weekend to be by the bay. 

 

We also picked up some kayaks for the summer, I'm looking forward to being able to get outside more with the kids and explore. I hope everyone has a is able to get outside for a little, have a safe fun weekend. 

[redskinss]

My wife and I recently picked up kayaking. 

 

I drove 800 miles yesterday (round trip) to get two kayaks. 

This store was the only one within a thousand miles that had the boat I wanted and the people there were awesome so it was worth the trip.

I feel like a kid on Christmas morning waiting for this weekend to try it out.

 

I spent my entire childhood camping and fishing, literally almost every night of the summer I'd be on the river or in the woods.

 

My wife is more of a bug hating, girly girl so all our entertainment has always involved hotels, casinos and concert venues. 

This covid 19 may be the greatest blessing in disguise I've ever gotten.

[GoCommiesGo]

We picked ours up two days ago and have gotten out twice. It's awesome! 

 

I grew up on the water, used to do a lot of sailing. I've done local races, down the bay and some blue water. Worked in the marine industry for a long time, got burned out by always being around and talking boating.

 

I took a new job three years ago and have slowly been finding my love for the water again. Kayaking is so peaceful I can't see anyone not liking it if you remotely like the being on the water. 

[redskinss]

16 minutes ago, GoSkinsGo said:

Kayaking is so peaceful I can't see anyone not liking it if you remotely like the being on the water. 

I think everyone is discovering that too.

Between spring time and the pandemic the stores are baron.

We drove everywhere looking for kayaks and so many places were sold out and the bigger stores were picked thin.

Edited June 5, 2020 by redskinss

[GoCommiesGo]

10 minutes ago, redskinss said:

I think everyone is discovering that too.

Between spring time and the pandemic the stores are baron.

We drove everywhere looking for kayaks and so many places were sold out and the bigger stores were picked thin.

 

It's crazy we ran into the same problem with the kayaks and other outdoor / fitness stuff. Glad you were able to find some. 

[redskinss]

11 minutes ago, GoSkinsGo said:

 

It's crazy we ran into the same problem with the kayaks and other outdoor / fitness stuff. Glad you were able to find some. 

My next mission is to go get some fishing gear for my new vessel. 

If I just wanted a kayak I could have found something serviceable locally but I found this hybrid between kind of a kayak and a job boat on the internet and I wanted one bad.

I wanted something super stable for fishing and something I could jump into the water for a swim and climb back onto without going to shore.

And also something that stores plenty of gear.

Its definitely not a kayak and it's kind of on the big side but it's got so many awesome features I had to have one.

 

[China]

Danger lurks in national parks, but not necessarily where you expect it

 

Every national park has its own hazards that are most likely to cause serious injuries and deaths; and some of them might surprise you. The outdoor travel site Outforia recently ranked the parks by number of deaths after it obtained systemwide data spanning 2010 to the start of 2020 via a Freedom of Information Act request and categorized the fatalities. A heart attack would be classified as medical/natural death, while tripping and cracking your skull on a rock — or losing your balance on a ledge — counts as a fall.

 

Of the 62 national parks in the system at the time (a 63rd has just been added), these 10 have the highest number of fatalities.

 

1. Grand Canyon, Arizona (134 deaths)

2. Yosemite, California (126 deaths)

3. Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee and North Carolina (92 deaths)

4. Sequoia & Kings Canyon, California (75 deaths)

5. Yellowstone, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho (52 deaths)

6. Denali, Alaska (51 deaths)

7. Mount Rainier, Washington (51 deaths)

8. Rocky Mountain, Colorado (49 deaths)

9. Grand Teton, Wyoming (48 deaths)

10. Zion, Utah (43 deaths)

 

A handful of national parks recorded no deaths between 2010 and 2020: Gateway Arch, Missouri; Petrified Forest, Arizona; Kenai Fjords, Alaska; American Samoa, American Samoa; North Cascades, Washington; Isle Royale, Michigan; Kobuk Valley, Alaska; and Gates of the Arctic, Alaska. These parks also tend to have the fewest visitors.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[PleaseBlitz]

I don’t doubt that the Grand Canyon has killed a lot of people. There is a remarkable documentary on Nat Geo/Disney+ about 2 journalists who decide to through-hike the Grand Canyon. They do not have a ton of hiking experience and are, frankly, idiots. 
 

Their first attempt at what should be a 800+ mile and month long trip ends after 3 days with both of them nearly dying from exposure and exhaustion. So they go home and heal for a few months (their skin had basically come off) and regroup and formulate a much less ambitious, but still harrowing, plan to hike it in stages with lots of outside help. That trip ends up being an amazing saga and also an infuriating story of how the Canyon’s popularity is ruining one of America’s most awesome natural treasures. 
 

 

 

 

[China]

These are the odds of dying during a visit to a National Park this summer

 

For Americans heading to US national parks this summer, fun and sun are on most visitors’ minds. While some danger lurks at these natural treasures, new data shows that parkgoers by and large survive the great outdoors.

 

There are plenty of threats for visitors to the parks, especially as excessive heat and other extreme climate and weather events continue to menace the nation and its infrastructure.

 

An October 2020 analysis from Panish Shea & Boyle LLP which reportedly used data provided by the US National Park Service (NPS) for the years 2007 through 2018 showed there had been a total of 2,727 deaths spread over hundreds of sites across that 12 years period while approximately 3.5 billion visited during that same period.

 

“That equates to just under 8 deaths per 10 million visits to park sites during that time frame,” the study noted. “We feel that it is important to say that, based on our data, visiting US National Parks is very safe overall.”

 

Additionally, according to NPS data provided on its website, between the calendar year 2014 and 2016, 143 of 419 park units reported one or more deaths for a total of 990 deaths or six deaths per week. 

 

The agency said that its mortality rate was 0.1 deaths per 100,000 recreation visits with 53 percent of deaths in that time frame due to unintentional causes like drowning and vehicle crashes.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[Larry]

3 minutes ago, China said:

The agency said that its mortality rate was 0.1 deaths per 100,000 recreation visits with 53 percent of deaths in that time frame due to unintentional causes like drowning and vehicle crashes.

Really glad to hear that 53 percent of deaths were unintentional. 

[China]

‘Everyone came at once’: America’s national parks reckon with record-smashing year

 

After more than a year of Covid cabin fever, the landscapes of the west called out to cooped up Americans, who arrived in greater numbers than ever before. As a result, 2021 saw bucket-list parks – including Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Zion, Arches, Canyonlands and Glacier – smash their previous visitation records.

 

But the mass exodus into the outdoors has come at a cost. The 1960s-era wastewater system in Yellowstone was pushed to the brink. Arches temporarily closed 120 times because all the parking lots were full. The Grand Canyon struggled to cope with a record number of rescues, and an influx of remote workers have driven rents sky high in gateway towns such as Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

 

Interviews with park supervisors, staff and guests paint a picture of a system under increasing strain and struggling to adapt to this new reality. National parks have become the go-to destination for vacationers craving dazzling sights at a social distance, but the surge has collided with a host of existing problems on public lands, including years of underinvestment.

 

That has left staff overwhelmed and guests frustrated.

 

Click on the link for the full article

 

Edited January 2, 2022 by China

[China]

Redwood National and State Parks will no longer let you hike to Hyperion, the world’s tallest tree

 

The area around Hyperion, a massive coast redwood known for being the tallest tree in the world, has been closed indefinitely due to damage to the forest caused by trampling visitors. 

 

The 380-foot tree is located deep within Redwood National Park and, despite not being accessible by any trail, has attracted scores of visitors since its height was “discovered” in 2006. According to the National Park Service, tree enthusiasts who have bushwhacked off-trail into dense vegetation to reach Hyperion’s base have caused enough habitat destruction to warrant the closure of the entire area, plus a $5,000 fine and potential jail time for those who decide to make the trip anyway. 

 

“The usage was having an impact on the vegetation and potentially the root system of the very tree that people are going there to visit,” said Leonel Arguello, the park’s Chief of Natural Resources. “There was trash, and people were creating even more side trails to use the bathroom. They leave used toilet paper and human waste – it’s not a good thing, not a good scene.” 

 

According to the park service’s website, visitors have caused some degradation to Hyperion’s base, and ferns no longer grow around the tree due to stepping and trampling.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[skinsmarydu]

Didn't know where to put this, but it's very interesting. 

 

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/bird-songs-changed-pandemic?utm_source=pocket-newtab

[China]

Why California's national parks love a viral bad review

 

Bad reviews can torpedo a business.

 

But if used correctly, they can also be a marketing machine — and not many organizations are better at making viral comments and bad behavior funny, friendly and informative using social media than America’s beloved national parks.

 

It doesn’t take much to find reviews begging for a viral moment on Tripadvisor.

 

Take John, for example. He shared this gem in May 2014 following a recent trip to Yosemite National Park: “Thanks for nothing, Half Dome.” Among thousands of stellar Tripadvisor reviews, John’s one-star abomination isn’t exactly helpful or accurate.

 

The same goes for Rammina, who said Yosemite’s iconic Tunnel View wasn’t worth the traffic. “I didn’t really understand what everyone was staring at,” she wrote in September 2016. Of more than 3,000 reviews, her write-up of the so-called “okay” sightseeing stop stands alone as Tripadvisor’s only one-star rating of Tunnel View.

It’s not just Yosemite on the wrong end of Tripadvisor comments, either.

 

Further south in the Sierra Nevada, Sweta wasn’t terribly impressed by Sequoia National Park, home of the world’s largest trees: “The place stinks like a urinal and is super crowded.” 

 

There were also these gems recently shared by the social media team at Southern California’s Joshua Tree National Park.

 

“Dang, those are some UGLY trees,” one reviewer stated, giving the park three stars.

 

“Welcome to Joshua Tree! I hope you like rocks,” another two-star review warned.

 

Click on the link for the full article