Learning to Camp

ohiblather asked me to talk a bit about my camping experience on Manitoulin Island, so I thought I'd ramble here.



I should start with a confession. I am in no way a wilderness camper, nor do I have any real desire to become one at this time. My idea of camping is to find an inexpensive campground that will guarantee me washrooms, showers, water and electricity. When I went web-surfing for accommodations on Manitoulin Island, those are the essentials I found at Stanley Park. They also provided us with an office that sold cold drinks and firewood, which was even better. Also, of course, we were able to book three days on a campground for less than it would have cost us to book a hotel room for one night.

Camping only became a feasibility for John and me when we got our van four years ago. It gave us the freedom to consider hiking excursions that went beyond a day. The first time we headed to Tobermory to camp we made the decision to simply throw an air mattress into the van and sleep there. A -very- bad idea. It was massively uncomfortable and I spent the last night of our trip sleeping in my reclined car seat. We knew the next time we went camping we would definitely have to tent.

So, heading to Manitoulin we packed a tent, a ground sheet, an air mattress and two sleeping bags for sleeping. We had to set up the tent in the dark on our first night, which was an interesting challenge. We used an electric pump to blow up the air mattress. We had also expected to zip the two sleeping bags together to conserve heat, but we discovered the first night that the zippers weren't compatible. Instead, we put one sleeping bag on the air mattress and one over us and used our jackets as pillows (since we had forgotten pillows).

Our sleeping accommodations were comfortable, but on that first night we were bitterly cold. Proved a blessing in a way, as we were both awake and ready to get moving again by 6 a.m. Saturday morning, which means we got to witness the extraordinary mist that shrouds the island and the lakes in the early morning. The sunrise through the mist that first morning was astonishing. Still we had learned two things a)We each had to claim a sleeping bag for the rest of the trip and zip them up separately to keep warm and b) We needed blankets. We stopped at a Stedman's in Gore Bay that morning and bought a set of fleece sheets. Problem solved- we were both comfy and warm for the next two nights.

We didn't do any campfire cooking during this trip, even for snacks. My Weight Watcher program pretty much ruled out things like marshmallows and S'mores and our not eating meat ruled out simple things like hot dogs. John did build a fire on our second and third camping nights and we sat around drinking coolers (Mike's Light- only 2 points a bottle) and snacking on dill Crispy Minis. I'd like to experiment with more outdoor cooking on future camping trips.

We did find outdoor camping fun and a good way to save money on vacation. Mind you, we were extremely lucky to have wonderful weather for the four days we were on the island, we haven't experienced camping in the rain yet. I suspect that wouldn't be as much fun. Rain really would have put a damper on this trip, though. John and I realized that everything we did on Manitoulin was outdoors, except meals, and there wouldn't have been many options to do indoor activities.

We're already giving thought to where we'd like to go camping next summer.

SURVEY:

Do you go outdoor camping on a regular basis? Do you like roughing it or do you need your comforts even outdoors? What tenting or outdoor cooking habits have worked best for you? What's your favorite recipe cooked over an open fire? Have you dealt with outdoor camping in rainy or cold weather? Any suggestions of a good camping vacation for us, preferably no more than a one day drive from Toronto?