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Roger J. Wendell
Defending 3.8 Billion Years of Organic Evolution^SM

Camping and backpacking A look at sleeping on the ground and other ways to escape the daily grind of big cities, apartment living and 21st century excesses!

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"We left town, coasted down a hill back to the barren plain and found a comfortable place to camp. When I looked towards the setting sun, I could not see anything built or even touched by humans. At these special moments, I am reminded that camping not only saves money - it brings us closer to our natural surroundings. I bid the world good night and slept like a rock."

- Tim and Cindie Travis in their book, Down the Road in South America
(A Bicycle Tour through Poverty, Paradise, and the Places in Between), p. 167.

[I met Tim and Cindie while I was in Argentina - I've since had 'em both on my radio show and am honored to be mentioned on page 224 of their book!]

Definitions and Explanations:

Wet camping in Africa!

Although I've spent about two years of my life sleeping on the ground (in either a tent or on a ground cloth in the open) I don't consider myself much of a "Camper." That's because, for me, camping is a means to an end. I'm usually involved in camping because it either gets me that much closer to an alpine climb or I'm simply saving money on hotel accommodations! Nevertheless, I really do enjoy camping and am especially appreciative of clear skies that allow me to keep the tent packed away. Tent or not, camping brings me closer to the Earth in a number of ways besides being on the ground. It's that night-long connection with our surroundings that keeps us tuned into not only our inner-self, but that huge natural world that surrounds as well...

Oh, I'm not exactly sure how to define the distinction but I consider backpacking very much different than camping at times, and very connected at others. Backpacking, obviously, involves a lot more walking and planning than simply plopping a tent down next to my car. Still, "tenting" or camping doesn't always mean setting up house that close to creature comforts either - I've camped alongside some pretty remote dirt roads all over North America (including Canada and Mexico) and am thankful for the experience! And, as you can see by the photo (at left) I've "camped" in Africa on my way up to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro. I call it camping, there, because at the time of my climber it was pretty much required (to help the local economy) that we hire guides and porters to carry most of our stuff so it wouldn't be fair to have called it backpacking knowing that young men carried our tents and food!

Anyway, whether you camp next to your car, on some rancher's property (with her permission, of course!), alongside the highway, or three days down a Sierra Nevada trail I'm sure you'll agree it beats expensive hotel rooms and crowded dorms by a long shot! When it's convenient I'll add more tips and photos to this page as time permits. The main thing, however, is that we all get out there to enjoy (and protect!) the natural world!

Grand Canyon 2006

Although I have a ton of pix on my Grand Canyon page the point, here, is to illustrate some alternatives to "traditional" camping methods. In our case, we always attempt to camp without a tent whenever possible - even when our neighbors are using 'em. And, of course, we always try to avoid the use of open fires despite our stove getting a little carried away at start-up!

A ground cloth called home...

Hermit Rapids

Doug Bloom waking up!

Starting the stove!

Organized neighbors...

Summer 2005

Here's a single "man" Walrus tent I've been using since the late 80s. I like it because it has a relatively low profile yet still allows me to sit up (almost!) to read and perform chores. I almost never make fires, while camping, and I never cook inside my tent. This particular style of tent is solid protection throughout three seasons and works pretty good through hard winter conditions if carefully set up and anchored...

Leave No Trace had this little set-up at the Sierra Club's 2005 Summit in San Francisco...

Australia 2005

In 2005, for my 50th birthday, my wife and I drove over 5,800 km (3,600 miles) across Australia. Unfortunately my wife broke her leg so we came back home earlier than expected. Nevertheless, we experienced some good roadside and national park camping along in the state of Western Australia and the Northern Territory. A common feature seemed to be that tenters stayed with the caravans, or what we'd call "RV" parking. Electricity was always available as was a hot shower (even though I only used cold water because it was usually about 35c and above) and laundry. So, despite being many hundreds of miles from the nearest town we could usualy rely on finding some very comfortable campsites!

San Francisco 2005

Okay, homelessness is not a joking matter. Nevertheless, I couldn't help post this picture here because I found their "camp" to be almost perfect! I took this picture mid-morning, during the business week, in downtown San Francisco (September, 2005). I didn't disturb the campers but would have sure liked to talk to them about their set-up - their tents were in excellent condition and carefully erected so as not to impede pedestrian traffic. I've never seen such a encampment on a public sidewalk before!

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