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Show - -, . ' r'" . .1 .'.-' i ; ' " 1 . ( i i r'x ; . - . i''-' f . I" j ?! y v ' K- M ,. .,.. ...... s- CAMPING OUT with proper planning you can ;e; start the day at home away from home and have E- By Hartt Wuom Vernal Express Outdoors Writer All Utahns may not have been out imping oa the Fourth of July, but there were times it appeared that way. Assuming it was a happy experience many more will repeat for the 24th. If the outing was not all it should have been, physical and mental preparation might have been a key. Great camping, accompanied by not only fun but a rejuvenation re-juvenation of spirit to face the world of work once again, is an art. And as a jyoungster, I can remember our family didn't have it. We wandered out into the country, looking in general for running water for f camp and fishing opportunities. When ,we thought we'd found it, we parked. After unloading, we discovered it was private property. After being evicted, we pulled into an unposted field. There were no trees, no shade, and no water. But, we could unhitch the car from trailer, and drive into town for some. It rained that night. It always rains when you camp out. There was no top on our little haul-it-yourself trailer. The one small tent blew while not quite over, enough to let water find its way in. The five of us tried to sleep in the car. The next day, after sunburn and mosquitoes, mos-quitoes, our intended 5 day camp trip culminated in a beeline to the comforts of home. While it might have resembled something out of the funny papers, it wasn't that humorous to a mother and sister, who decreed from that moment on that there would be no more talk of "roughing it outdoors." From what I hear in some households, the aforementioned aforemen-tioned experience is not unique. Of course, many "campers" today are so sophisticated they think discomfort is a motorhome not quite leveled. Others have the fifth wheel trailer including a cage for the family cat, or 13 foot camper. That's all fine. But, once in a while really camping out with a tent, or at 'east minus all the accroutements of home, can provide an enriching ex- 9 penence. It is true that one can also 9 meet with grief, for example, on our ast outing we couldn't locate the tent Pegs borrowed from us. But, we'd kept one "ace" up the windbreaker. We had Pe, and a hatchet. Cutting dead limb lor pegs, then placing them where we could get a stick into the ground, we tightened with rope. The latter gave us some latitude, for we could also tighten !4 10 an aspen tree where we couldn t get a Peg in. 6 One secret of putting any tent up to i TtK1S l make il tight- For instance, it fir!?? 'leanir,g" or slack pole which is rst to fall in wind or trouble. When one Point is tight, it helps keep everything tight as well. But, there is more to Ping (and a good night's sleep) a n t nt remaining upright. You may weu . face it; if every comfort of home "as to be duplicated, you might as well B"1. a soft pad under the von g g Wil1 do wonders. That way J u won t have to remove sticks, and lots of fun, as this young fisherman is doing on the east end of the Uinta Mountains. is How vo made preparavoons Got o good ceomiporiigj exjpGnGmc flatten ground at 1 a.m. Air mattresses will work, but foam pads don't leak. You can also use cushions from camper or trailer on a ground, cloth or tent, floor. One flashlight per tent, or a Coleman lantern, etc. will give everyone more security if someone has to make a potty quest in the middle of the night. Some sort of pre-bedtime "ceremony" is also important for little ones, if present, such as campfire and smores (Graham cracker, heated marshmallow and chocolate melted in, leaves them asking ask-ing for s'mores) or a settling -down type story. With it, rather than ghost tales, Mom or Dad, or both, might get more sleep. Cooking utensils plus open fires take time, so don't plan on it unless you've got few pressures. It only takes a small fire, and 10 minutes on each side, for fish or hamburger to cook perfectly in aluminum foil. Add about five more minutes each for chicken. Inbetween, in my experience, for carrots and potatoes. If you have planned the "where" carefully enough you won't have to worry about drinking water (carry a 5 gallon jug with you) chances of cat-' ching a fish, shade, shelter from rain, etc. Here are some other basic items to make sure you take with you: camp chairs, or lounge chairs (a handy log or boulder may not be handy), rope for tent and clothes line, knife for cutting, grill for cooking over an open fire, dry paper for staring fire, brillo pad if not taking paper plates and cups, both a water repellent light coat, and heavier one if rainy, after dark. Take things like salt, catsup, cooking oil, spatula in addition to can opener, band-aids, Bac-tine Bac-tine or calamine lotion for bites, stinging sting-ing nettle, scratches and a resolution in advance you can do without what you forgot. But, you'll be happier if you make that as little as possible. |