by Ben Becker, Newsletter Writer
Summer in Wisconsin offers a multitude of unique opportunities for recreation. From the geologic wonders left undisturbed by the age of glaciers, to the majesty of the north woods and the Great Lakes beyond, our state boasts so many marvels to be enjoyed by the outdoor enthusiast. Yet whether you’re the heartiest of thru-hikers, or your idea of adventure lies no further than your backyard barbeque, making necessary preparations can help to ensure that your plans end in success, whatever they may be.
Different Types of Camping
Definitions of camping vary wildly. For those with memories of scouting expeditions from their youth, expectations may center on a modest pup tent and meals cooked over a campfire. On the other side of the spectrum is “glamping,” usually requiring the movable but solid walls of a recreational vehicle or trailer. Glampers may bring the kitchen with them, foregoing the trials and tribulations faced by those who cook over coals. Somewhere in between is car camping. While car campers might pitch a tent and sleep outdoors, they are usually never far from the road they drove in on and, when camping in state parks, often have access to water and bathrooms.
Bare Necessities
These bare necessities ensure an experience that is usually more convenient and cleaner, if perhaps a bit less rugged. Car camping also has several other advantages over a backpack trip in terms of the planning and gear requirements. Car campers can enjoy conveniences such as larger, more spacious tents, chairs to sit and relax in around the fire, and coolers in which to store perishable foods or just to keep their favorite beverages at a refreshing temperature.
While a heavy investment in gear, equipment or vehicles can bring most of the comfort of home into an outdoor setting, there are still some basic things to remember which can enhance your experience, no matter your level of insulation or isolation.
Bugs
When putting together your pack list, be sure that repellent is bold and underlined at the top of the page.
When using spray, you will want to target exposed areas of the skin and around your ankles. Many conventional bug repellents use DEET as their active ingredient, which is effective but has toxic properties. For those who prefer a more natural alternative, you might employ incense sticks designed for this purpose, such as the Nantucket Spider brand. Garlic, that most pungent and wondrous of alliums, also has natural repellent properties which can be effective against flying insects. The Co-op carries other more natural, DEET-free bug sprays such as All Terrain’s Herbal Armor.
When camping near bodies of water, wetlands, or after a rainstorm, mosquitoes and blackflies can be an especially pesky nuisance. Even if the weather is friendly, the romantic experience of sleeping out under the stars without a tent or shelter can leave you exposed to these irritating critters. A simple mechanical solution is to set up mosquito netting to help you enjoy a more restful sleep.
An increasingly dangerous threat to your wellbeing is the growing population of deer ticks. Often hard to spot, these parasites are thick within the deep woods, especially off the beaten path. You will need to be vigilant in checking for and removing ticks from your body. Ticks have small heads relative to their body which need to be completely removed using a tick key, or by flipping them upside down with the edge of a knife. If bitten, should you begin to display symptoms of Lyme Disease such as a rash, joint aches, and flu like symptoms; seek treatment right away. If caught early, Lyme Disease is easily treatable, but left unchecked it could result in permanent complications for your health.
Toilet Paper
In addition to protection from insects, there are several other must-haves that will make your camping experience much more enjoyable. Bringing a supply of extra toilet paper can make your morning constitutional feel a bit more civilized. Of course, you should also bring a small trowel along with you to bury all of it should you find yourself away from the necessary facilities.
Towels & Towelettes
Another valuable item to have along after an unexpected rain or a quick dip in the lake is a small, super-absorbent towel. These items are usually available from outfitters and are much easier to carry than your standard bath towel.
Caring for your hygiene will help you to stay comfortable in the woods and make your experience more enjoyable. With this in mind, you won’t want to find yourself without a supply of moist towelettes or cleansing napkins. These can be very handy for cleaning and disinfecting your hands and face, or any other body parts that may need it.
Plastic Bags
Of course, some small plastic bags can also be of use as well. Their light weight and packability will make them easy to carry, but they can also help to provide some level of water repellent for food or other items you need to keep dry and are particularly handy for hauling out material waste from your campsite to ensure that you leave no trace.
Rain Flies & Tarps
If you do plan to pitch a tent, you can make your temporary shelter more comfortable by ensuring that you have a rain fly, a ground tarp, or other ground cover, and a sleeping pad. While hot weather will make a better-ventilated tent more livable, having a correctly attached rain fly above you will reduce the likelihood of waking up cold and soaked from a summer storm. A tarp or some other ground cover set up under your tent floor will not only add another layer of insulation to your shelter, but will preserve your tent from wear.
Sleeping Pads
Anyone who has ever slept on the hard ground knows the stiffness and discomfort a sleeping pad can alleviate. While an inflated air pad may be suitable, you should favor an eggshell foam design to ensure the most comfort short of hauling a cot with you.
Fire
Of course, no camper is fully prepared without a supply of matches and or other ignition devices. For the experienced fire builder, using just one match to get their campfire to full blaze is often a point of pride.
Outfitters often sell a variety of premium fire-starting tools such as waterproof matches or other materials that burn hot and are easy to ignite; however, you can generally make do with an affordable strike-on-the-box variety available at regular retail stores. Be sure that when you pack your matches, you keep them secure and dry by storing them within a sealed plastic bag within your pack.
Tinder & Kindling
Before you light anything, you will need to gather small tinder and kindling to act as your initial fuel source. Wood shavings, dry leaves, and pine needles especially are very effective, but you can use some spare newspaper if you are in a pinch. If you want to make it easy on yourself, prepare firestarters at home by compacting scraps of paper into small scrolls and dipping them into melted candle wax. Easy to light, these handy crafts will burn quickly with enough heat to build up your blaze without the frustrations of generating those first small sparks.
Gradually work your way up to a blaze by adding small twigs, followed by branches of increasing diameter until you have sufficient heat to add logs.
Fuel
When collecting fuel, you will want to avoid any wet or damp material that will burn poorly and create noxious smoke. Your best strategy to gather dry material while preserving local flora after heavy rain is to search for hanging deadwood. This material can be found suspended from the trees, is easy to remove without much effort, and is dry enough to snap cleanly, and is free of flexibility or greenness.
Cautions
If you are purchasing firewood, be sure to buy it when you arrive at your campground, as invasive insects can often hide in wood carried in from distant locations. Most importantly, you will want to respect the danger that fire can pose to yourself and your surroundings, so take care to refrain from adding metals and toxins which can release harmful chemicals, and always extinguish your campfire completely with water and dirt before you leave your site.
Cooking Outdoors
When you know what you’re doing, a campfire is not only a welcome source of heat, but a natural gathering place for friends and family to enjoy. However, no one in your party is likely to have a very good time if you don’t keep them well-nourished. When cooking outdoors, some will employ a wealth of equipment to ensure a gourmet experience, while others might shell out for expensive, freeze-dried meals they can pack with them. Just because you are using less fancy methods such as a campfire or a grill doesn’t mean your meals should lack flavor. Relying on some simple techniques (and some seasoning) can go a long way to raising your open-air gastronomy game.
When cooking over a campfire, most think their options are limited to some charred frankfurters and a can of baked beans. Yet, with a bit of gumption, a campfire makes for a ready hearth that will lend itself to a hearty meal.
S’mores
There is nothing quite so synonymous with a fire ring as the ever-popular s’more. Yet as any five-year-old with a stick can tell you, roasting a marshmallow to golden brown perfection is no easy feat. The trick to getting that billowy yet crispy consistency without erupting into char involves building your fire just right. Instead of striving for that picturesque blaze, you will need to forego large logs in favor of a generous supply of smaller branches. Unlike larger chunks of wood which will burn slowly and create a large amount of ash, converting your fuel into hot coals will create a source of steady heat with less flame, that will evenly cook your marshmallow without risk of it being engulfed.
Once you have achieved optimum gooeyness, why not mix it up by substituting your milk chocolate with a darker variety or one containing caramel? Or, spread some peanut butter on your graham cracker for another layer of richness.
Pie Irons
If s’mores are played out, bring along a few pie irons for an easy-yet-tasty dessert alternative. Just butter the outsides of two pieces of bread, and sandwich a bit of canned pie filling or other fruits between them, and flavor with a sprinkle of cinnamon. Pie irons can also make for an easy pizza pocket by swapping out the fruit for tomato sauce, cheese, some pepperonis, and other toppings. Just be sure your equipment is made from some quality cast iron, as cheap molds can often melt right off the handle.
Tin Foil Packet Dinner
Another easy campfire option with minimal clean-up is a tin foil packet dinner. Simply combine a portion of ground hamburger with a high-fat content or perhaps some ground sausage, some chopped onions, cut potatoes or other vegetables, and wrap them tightly into an aluminum foil envelope. For best results, add cheese or seasoning salt. You can cook your packet directly on the coals and eat straight out of the foil. Just be sure that your protein is fully cooked for safety, or if meat isn’t your thing, just swap it out with any vegetable-based oil that boasts a high smoke point.
Cast Iron Skillet Meals
If pack weight isn’t an issue for you, campfire cooking possibilities abound when you carry in your cast iron skillet. So long as you properly care for them with proper cleaning and seasoning (never use soap and avoid unnecessary exposure to moisture) you are likely to count this cookware among your most treasured personal property. Start your day by frying bacon before you crack a few eggs into the sizzling liquid remaining in the pan. Cast iron is also excellent for preparing French toast. Alternatively, you could use similar ingredients while avoiding some of the fuss to make toads in the hole! Just poke a few holes in your bread before you lay it in the pan, then fry your eggs within the center of each slice.
Jet Boils
Should you find yourself in the back country without a fire pit carrying a small miniature stove such as a jet boil can allow for some creative meals without needing overpriced meal kits. A clean water supply combined with rice, lentils, or pasta can ensure a hearty meal on the cheap. If you are a true dirtbag explorer at heart, bring a few packs of ramen that you can mix in with whatever other foods you have and you’re sure not to run out of money or flavor.
Canned Foods
Just because you are without a cooler doesn’t mean you can’t have animal protein. Bring along a few cans of chicken, tuna, or perhaps even sardines to enrich whatever you’ve got stewing.
Coffee
If you need a morning caffeine fix without a French press, you don’t need to limit yourself to instant coffee. Pack in some loose-leaf tea bags along with a container of your favorite oolong variety, or use the bags as a filter for a coffee grind from your favorite local roaster.
Ready-to-Eat Foods
Whether parked at the campsite or out on a long hike, sometimes cooking can be more effort than it’s worth, especially if all you need is a light snack. In either case, picking up some dry ready-to-eat foods from the Co-op’s Bulk aisle will be perfect for eating on-the-go. Carry some dried fruits, such as raisins, dried cranberries, or banana chips. If you are looking for something chewier but still sweet, don’t shy from dried apricots, mango, papaya, or pineapple.
For other dehydrated staples, you might even be daring enough to chomp down on some fruit leather or enjoy the reliable sustenance beef jerky can provide. You can stay well fortified by stocking up on your favorite nuts, or by selecting from the many mixes of granola available including blueberry and gingersnap. Many hikers like to have their favorite trail mix along with them, such as GORP, or add the sweetness of dark chocolate chips or carob nibs.
Bear-/Animal-Proofing
Be sure to keep your leftover food and packaging carefully stored in a bear-proof container or hung far from the campsite to avoid any hungry scavengers from showing up unannounced.
Relaxing in Nature
Whether your weekend respite occurs along the shores of Mirror Lake, beyond the waters of Chequamegon Bay, or just outside your own backdoor, employing new techniques and menus is sure to keep your time out of doors comfortable and satisfying. Take some time to brush up on your wilderness or barbeque skills, and don’t forget to try some new snacks along the way. With a full belly, some dry feet, and a safe distance between yourself and any nasty insects, you are sure to experience all the relaxation nature has to offer.