During the school holidays I went on my first camping trip with my husband, my two children and my rabid dog to the beautiful Lake Garda in Italy. While the location was something out of a dream the whole camping experience was at times an unmitigated disaster.

Below I’ve listed some of those camping mishaps, hopefully you can learn from my misery.

My Camping Mishaps on Lake Garda, Italy:

Decked by a Chair

Before going camping my husband kindly gave me the task of buying some deck chairs as well as some camping accessories. It’s fair to say teaching isn’t the most lucrative career but my decision to the buy our deck chairs from the pound shop is one I now regret. It was only the second day when reading through my latest novel the deck chair suddenly collapsed from under me only to be followed by eruptions of laughter from my caring husband and children.

Marshmallow Meltdown

With our careful supervision the children toasted some marshmallows on the campfire. On one occasion a marshmallow became engulfed with flames and in a mad panic my youngest son threw it in the direction of our dog, which steadily picked up the stick and of course the flaming marshmallow before running in the direction of our tent. Luckily, the marshmallow melted and fell off the stick before our dog entered the tent.

Light my Fire

On our first night, my husband, with his caveman like behaviour took charge of the fire. He had the kids collect the perfect fire wood and began constructing his masterpiece; I sat back in amusement a little smug knowing what was likely to happen or not in this case. After 40 or so minutes all he had summoned were a few measly sparks, I was getting hungry and so were the kids. Somewhat dejectedly he reached for the lighter fluid and within seconds he had it lit. Men, please don’t think you are Bear Grylls, it’s chilly and we’re hungry just get the lighter fluid and don’t be a hero.

Digital Switch Off

We let our eldest son take his new portable game console on the trip this was more to keep him entertained while travelling in the car. One day we decided to go hiking and we let him pack his own bag including a water bottle, chocolate bar, sandwich, another chocolate bar and unknown to myself and my husband his portable game console. Like all young teenagers he was at the back flagging, however, what we didn’t know was that while he was climbing over rocks and boulders he was also playing on his portable games console, impressive multitasking until he slipped and cracked his screen, he won’t be getting a new one.

Domestic Enemies

My husband the ever practical joker, thought it would be funny to move our tent while I was sleeping in it, right up against a wall. I woke up blurry eyed haven’t not slept very well due to the very raucous wildlife and climbed out of the tent head first straight into a stone wall. Be very wary of practical jokers, camping brings the worst out in them.

I’ve now got a cracked head, sore backside and an even grumpier teenage son. Maybe I’m a little crazy but despite all of the calamities experienced during our Lake Garda holiday I would still go back. Life is about creating stories and camping facilitates this beautifully, hopefully for myself and my family this is just the beginning, chapter one.

Author: Lucia Monlia

Edited By: CampTrip.com

De-Slime Your Fish

It’s important to clean and prepare the fish for cooking shortly after being caught so as to maintain its freshness. First wash off the layer of slime on the fish, if it has one; fresh fish often have this slimy layer when they come out of the water. This fish slime may contain parasites and bacterial growth that could contaminate the flesh of the fish if it were exposed, so make sure to remove this slime before slicing into the fish.

Remove Scales

Next, with the fish scalier or the blunt edge of the dull knife, scrape off the scales by using short strokes against the direction of the scales from tail to head; repeat on other side. Make sure you get the scales around the fins, gills and throat of the fish. Make sure all scales are removed along the fish’s body, and wash in cold fresh water so that all the scales sticking to the sides gets washed away. If you don’t mind scales, you can skip to the next section.

Cleaning Out Your Fish

Make the first cut with the sharp fillet knife by inserting it into the vent in the fish’s belly right in front of the anal fin and slice out forwards towards the gill region, carefully watching your fingers. Split the gills’ central connection.  Remove the entrails—intestines, liver, other internal organs—with your fingers.  Make sure to scrape out the liver, which attaches to the back bone and the swim bladder – which attaches to the cavity itself. Check the cavity to ensure everything has been removed, because if the “sticky gooey stuff” (membranes or other particles) is left inside and cooked, there will be a horrible bitter taste. You can even grab the section at the base of the head, pinch a little and pull everything out at once. Cut out the gills with your knife, too. Once mostly clean inside, give the insides a rinse and wash out any blood that you can see.

Cooking Your Fish Whole

Decide whether you want to cook the fish whole or not. Usually small fish are cooked whole, and bigger fish need to be prepared as fillets. If cooking the fish whole, then the head and tail sections need not be removed because a skewer can be “threaded” through the mouth and tail section of the fish to hold the fish above the campfire later when cooking.

Rinse the cavity thoroughly with the bottle of fresh water. If you want, remove the dorsal fin by cutting along each side of it and carefully pulling the fin out with the pliers. Be careful that bones at the base of the fins aren’t left inside the fish.  Store the cleaned fish in the container, making sure the cleaned fish faces downward so that water does not pool in the cavity. If your container holds ice, make sure melted ice water does not pool in the cavity so as to prevent bacteria from growing and spoiling your fish, as these organisms live inside the entrails. If your fish happens to have yellow grubs on them when you clean them (such as when cleaning bass), flick them off and press on; these yellow grubs are parasites that don’t hurt humans (according to some state fishing websites) and they can be killed by thorough cooking.

Cooking Your Fish in Fillets

If you prefer having the fish prepared in fillet-fashion, cut just above the fish’s ribs, which you can feel with your knife and use as a guide; pull the fillet away from the fish’s body once the blade reaches the head end. Inspect the fillet for bones, and gently pull the bones out. Separate the skin from the meat with the knife by cutting under the skin and pulling the skin slowly away from the fillet from the front to the back. The skin should be a thin layer with little to no meat on it. Repeat on the other side.

Another way is to open the fish up from the belly with your knife and remove the backbone, ribs, head and tail – leaving just a flat double fillet with the skin on. Remove the fins with deft cuts from your knife, and take care not to get poked because those fins can be sharp and slippery. You can remove the ribs and bones just before removing the backbone by slipping your thumb from just behind the head and drawing down between the meat and the rib cage all the way down the length of the fish.

Nothing Should “Smell Kinda Fishy”

Good fish should never smell fishy. But if there happens to be a smell you don’t like on the fish, you can get rid of this smell by rubbing some cooking salt all over the fish, leave the salt on the fish for a few minutes, then wash it off; this can even bring out the flavor of the fish after cooking. You can even squeeze lemon juice onto the fish before cooking to mask the fishy smell, if you so choose. Properly discard bones and leftover remains of the fish.

To rid your hands of the fishy smell, rub your hands together with the juice squeezed out of half a lemon then wash hands with warm soap and water.  When drying your hands, use a rag—not your clothes—to wipe them.

If you missed reading part one “What You Need to Clean Your Fish” you can read it here.

Author: Mariecor Agravante
Edited By: CampTrip.com

Where to Clean Your Fish

When you are at last ready to clean your fish it is best, for sanitary purposes, to clean fish at designated fish cleaning stations. But if there are no designated cleaning stations around, then make sure when cleaning fish that you are doing this activity away from your campsite and away from neighboring campsites as well; this is to keep wildlife—like forest animals (e.g. birds, skunks, raccoons, bears, etc.) and insects (e.g. flies, mosquitoes, and other pesky bugs)—from disturbing your camp and those of your neighbors. Note that it may be preferable to clean fish while still at the lake so that the leavings (i.e. the fish remains) can be returned into the lake to be recycled by Mother Nature’s other creatures. Besides, if the feel of fish scales, slime, or entrails is too unpleasant for you during the process, then it may be best to indeed clean your fish near the water you caught it in. However, if there are laws against cleaning fish on the lake or if there are laws against dumping fish remains back into the lake, then make sure to abide by the laws, and dispose of the fish remains in appropriate containers after you’ve cleaned.

What You Need to Clean Your Fish

To begin, gather the materials needed to start the process of cleaning fish. Here is what you should have on hand:

• A fish scalier or a dull knife to scrape off the scales
• A fillet knife that is sharp
• A pair of pliers to pull out the dorsal fin
• Bottles of fresh water to rinse off the fillets (avoid cleaning fish with lake or stream water because they may have substances that will contaminate the edible parts you feed on)
• Cooking salt to place on fish to mask fishy smell
• Lemons to squeeze lemon juice onto the fish to mask the fishy smell after you’ve rinsed off the cooking salt
• A covered container to hold the cleaned fillets
• A bucket to gather water from the lake to rinse the cleaning area clean, a rag to wipe off your hands after handling the fish
• Half a lemon to eliminate fish odors from your hands when the activity is done

Now that you’re all ready and prepared read part two “How to Clean a Fish When Camping“.

Author: Mariecor Agravante

Edited By: CampTrip.com

Oh Camping is the life for me, camping by the sparkling sea, under the mangrove tree

Oh Camping is the life for me, being with the family, singing songs and playing happily

Oh Camping is the life for me, going outside to have a pee, experiencing nature free

Oh Camping is the life for me, hot and tasty food for tea, sleeping soundly like a baby

Oh Camping is the life for me, flooded by the stormy sea, lighting striking the mangrove tree

Oh Camping is the life for me, queuing up to have a pee, bugs biting my arm, face & knee

Oh Camping is the life for me, cold beans and a lukewarm tea, snoring campers waking me

Oh Camping is the life for me, stuck with the family, making me feel grumpy

Oh is Camping the life for me? Yes, without a doubt, for can’t you see,
that without my CampTrip where would I be?

Author: Marylyn Palmer
Edited By: CampTrip.com

Now I have my own children, aged ten and twelve. They love camping as well, although our version has evolved somewhat from the primitive, campfire and tent camping my parents practiced. My Mom used to cook over an open fire, on a grate balanced on two rocks. I prefer the safety and ease of a propane grill, which starts with the push of a button. While tents are fun, we enjoy the relative luxury of an enclosed camper.

No one can deny the pleasures of a campfire, and we light one every night in our fire pit. I leveled the ground, placed flat bricks and put a large ring of concrete blocks around the pit to keep it safely contained. I added two torchlights, filled with oil treated with citronella, which repels mosquitoes that can carry the dangerous West Nile Virus. Below I will share with you some of my camping cues to help you make your next camping trip the best one yet.

Camping Cues Just for You:

Camping can mean anything from hiking into a wilderness and pitching a tent, to driving to a lake cabin with all the amenities. Whatever version of camping you choose, there are several things to make your experience joyful and fun for the whole family.

Camp Setting

Nature and the beauty of the outdoors is the number one reason families like to go camping. Pick a favorite spot or get out a map and discover someplace new. Remember to factor in the transportation costs and the time it takes to get there. Pack snacks and fun travel games to keep the trip pleasant.

Water in the Area

If your chosen site has a nearby lake, fishing pond, pool or stream, you are in business! Everyone appreciates the sound of running water, and it can be a great place to cool off and unwind. Just remember to follow all posted rules and put safety first. Young children should never be left unsupervised around any type of water.

Camping Shelter

Tents are a popular choice, and they range from a modest “pup” tent to giant three-room structures that take a team to erect. Your best bet is a sturdy, easy to assemble tent in a size comfortable for your clan. The best time to buy is in the late autumn, when prices are slashed up to 90% off. Bonus hint: once you get the poles set up properly, color-code them with different colored stickers. The next time you put up the tent, it will be as easy as matching colors!

If you prefer a recreational vehicle, or RV, you will need to find a campsite that has hookups for water and electricity. You can easily find these on state maps, at the Visitor’s Center or Tourist Bureau in the city you are interested in. Often, gas stations will carry this information as well.

A third option is a permanent campsite, with a stationary trailer or camper. This is a popular option for families that like to “get away from it all,” but still have easy access to bathrooms, clean water, swimming facilities and designated campfire sites. Our family chose this option, after my husband suffered a disability that makes traditional tent camping too difficult.

Camping Food

Whether you plan on catching your supper from a stream, or cooking hot dogs over a campfire, food is a big part of the camping experience. Everything tastes better when it is cooked outdoors, and everyone’s appetite is peaked. Pack lots of snacks and on-the-go food so no one gets stuck cooking all day.

Camp Clean up

“If you pack it in, pack it out.” I still remember those words, etched on a sign at every campsite we visited as I was growing up. Never leave trash behind, as this can attract unwanted wildlife and make it unsafe for those campers who come after you. You can minimize your trash by choosing paper plates, cups and bowls. Instead of washing, simply toss in the fire. Bonus hint: Styrofoam or plastic dishes are not recommended because they give off toxic fumes when burned.

Fun Activities

The best part of camping is the fun you can have as a family. Go hiking in the woods, splash in a stream, count the stars or sit around the fire and tell stories. Getting back to basics is the backbone of camping, and when you do it with the ones you love, it is magical.

In today’s modern society, camping is an old fashioned, but much-loved activity that can bring families closer together, as they explore nature and take time out from a stressful schedule. Use these camping cues to plan a trip this summer, and your family will create lasting memories.

Author: Shaunna Privratsky
Edited By: CampTrip.com

Enjoy your budget camping trip!

Author: Kaitlyn
(The CampTrip Team)

Each time we would try various campgrounds all over Minnesota; the only prerequisite being that the sites we pitched our tent had to be within walking distance to a lake for fishing and swimming.

Encounters with a Bear while Camping at Potato Lake in Minnesota

After setting up camp late one afternoon at one of the Potato Lakes , (yes, there are a few named Potato Lake in Minnesota, “the Land of 10,000 Lakes”.  And yes, they’re all shaped like potatoes upon viewing a map – what lake doesn’t look like a potato?), we ate a quick dinner and hiked to the lake with our fishing poles to see if we could catch some “sunnies” and do some swimming before the sun went down.

Returning to camp, my sister Rachel (age 9) and I (age 10) raced ahead to the campsite leaving my dad, his girlfriend and my youngest sister Cindy (age 8 ) quite a ways behind. Upon arriving at the site we knew something was amiss. It looked like garbage had been strewn everywhere. And, in the fading light, we realized that we weren’t alone.

An Uninvited Guest

A bear, its outline barely visible, was attempting to drag our cooler into the woods. I turned to Rachel and said “Run!”

As I was dashing away, I realized she wasn’t following. She wasn’t even able to move! I grabbed her and attempted to drag her down the path, but she was completely in shock. By the time the rest of my family arrived, the bear was gone.  But not forgotten.

We cleaned up the debris, found the cooler and whatever food was left and put it in the back of the truck which had a topper. My sisters and I insisted on forgoing the tent for the night and dragged our sleeping bags into the topper-ed safety of the truck bed (where the cooler was now stowed).

Nighttime Hide and Seek

It wasn’t long into the night when we regretted or decision to sleep in the truck as it began rocking, back and forth. Apparently the bear had returned to claim his uneaten vittles. My sisters and I were mortified that we might be confused with the cooler contents. We began screaming; this awoke my short-tempered, Irish-German father who told us – the exact words I won’t repeat – to, “Hush, go to sleep and quit being so nervous about nothing.”

Usually, once my family set up camp, we would stay at the site for a few days.  But, for some reason, my dad was not happy with our camping situation at Potato Lake and we broke camp the next morning.

Unbelievable

My sisters and I were still trying to convince my dad and his girlfriend that we had, indeed, had a late night visitor. But to no avail.

As we rounded a corner in the truck, the morning sun came glaring through the windshield, illuminating hundreds of large, individual paw prints. Everyone fell silent for a moment as the evidence was revealed. I quickly pointed in excitement and looked to my dad, saying, “SEE, I told you we were telling the truth!”

As I looked back at the windshield I saw the squirt of wiper fluid and the swing of the wiper blades erasing the evidence my sisters had been so happy to have been able to show him just seconds before.

“SEE, what?” my dad replied.

A good tip would be don’t leave any food in your tent, not even in a cooler. Otherwise you WILL have some uninvited visitors although their size may differ. It’s almost a guarantee something will find your food. Whether it be ants, other insects, Squirrels, Raccoons, Bears..the list goes on. Trust me you do not want encounters with a bear while camping. Don’t risk it! The best place for your food is in a cooler or some other type of container then stored in your car or bear box at your campsite.

Author: Christine Callanan

Edited by: CampTrip.com

Allow me to expand my argument for this essential piece of equipment with just a few examples of its many uses.

21 Uses for a Pashmina Scarf While Camping

Firstly, (and most obviously) – it acts as a great scarf! Its thin and lightweight material can be wrapped around your neck many times, creating lots of warming layers; or it can be used in the opposite conditions as a shade, to be wrapped loosely over head and neck.  While on a camping/hiking trip in Morocco I soaked mine in water and draped it over my head, neck and arms; this was a perfect antidote to 40C conditions! You can even use the tassels at the ends to keep flies away from your face.

While on excursions away from the campsite, I have used it as a replacement rucksack strap, a bandage, a dress, towel, skirt, even as a sock for a blistered foot! And, once or twice, I have dared venture to use it for its intended purpose and have worn it as a fashion accessory.

Meanwhile, its versatility increases back at basecamp. One of my favourite weird and wonderful uses for my beloved pashmina has been to drain vegetables. It is also great fun to spin around a campsite with a scarf full of carrots. Similarly, when camping in the wild, it can be put to use to filter unsafe water and remove debris before making potable with purifying tablets.

This queen of unlikely tools has also been transformed into a pillow, a shawl for chilly evenings, a blindfold for children playing “blind-man’s buff”, and a sling to carry babies. It has been screwed and tied up into a volleyball, laid out as a picnic blanket or tablecloth, strung up inside a tent to create a hammock shelf for valuables, used as a tea-towel……

And so on. The list is endless!

A pashmina scarf. Very simple, very small, but something I recommend and, personally, will never camp without!

Author: Phoebe Ruxton

Edited by: CampTrip.com

Get your Camping Trip Organized:

1. Make a Reservation at the Campground

The first consideration (and I think most important) is where you are going. If you are planning a trip on a holiday weekend make sure you make reservations in advance. If you don’t have reservations, don’t go.  It is almost a given that every campground will be full, and trying to find a place to set up camp on the 4th of July with no reservation is almost impossible. Even if it isn’t a holiday weekend and you don’t think you need a reservation, or if where you want to camp doesn’t make reservations, always have a couple alternatives picked out. Looking at camp books, maps or on-line is much more relaxing at home than it is in a hot vehicle with a couple of cranky, tired kids. Write the directions in a notebook and don’t forget to take it with you.

2. First Aid or Medical Box

Remember, campgrounds are usually a ways away from town; there is nothing worse than needing to get some aspirin or a band-aid at 9:00 pm and not having anywhere to go. Before we go camping I put together 3 medical boxes. One is for prescriptions, another is for first aid, and the other is for things like aspirins, children’s pain medication, cold medication – anything along those lines. Why, you wonder, do I have it all divided up? It’s so that if I’m in a hurry or if it’s late at night I don’t have to sift through a bunch of stuff to find what I need. I put it all into those plastic shoe boxes and label them.

3. Organize your Misc. Items in Plastic Boxes:

It always seems like the important little stuff is most prone to getting lost: batteries, lighters, pens, pencils (you can see where I’m coming from).  Well, you could put it all in one of those plastic shoe boxes, but I like to use a few little, drawered plastic cubes. The drawers allow for a little division, so you can find what is needed much quicker. For instance, I know I always keep the lighters in the cube’s second drawer. My husband has his own cube in which he keeps a small amount of tools, screws and little things like that.

4. Cleaning Up – Dishes and Laundry:

For years I had a big water pot for heating water for dishes. I leave that at home now that I have a small one for a little hot water. You can now get dish soap that foams when you put it on a sponge scrub and rinse. This saves a lot of water and a lot of extra work. Remember, it’s vacation time; whatever you can do to save on the work at camp makes everyone happy. On that note (and while we are talking about cleaning up), let’s address the laundry for a moment. You can’t go camping without creating laundry and it can get real messy real fast if you don’t have a system for it. At our camp everyone gets a king size pillow case and their laundry goes in it. This way there are not stinky socks floating around and lost clothes. You don’t have to buy new pillow cases. Used ones can be found at goodwill or yard sales.

5. Packing Clothing:

When considering what clothes to take camping first consider how much is too much. It is tempting to want to take lots after all you never know what you might need or want. The down side of this is that if everyone takes way more than they need these clothes become a burden on the whole family. Then again if you did not bring enough that can also be a source of frustration and discontent. I plan one outfit per day for each person with a couple of extras.  Two warm outfits and a jacket plus one bathing suit. and 2 pairs of pjs. We wash once a week at a laundry mat.

6. Plan Ahead:

By now you are no doubt getting the organized camping idea. Plan ahead, get organized and avoid a lot of frustrations, but what about the things you can’t plan for. When I have kids at camp I always send for those tourist guide books before I ever leave home. I pick out a couple of activities which would be good on a rainy day and are age appropriated to the children. You can always find a movie or sit in your camper or tent and play board games as well.. I always take a couple of games and a deck of cards. Rainy days are also great days to do laundry.

Be creative and organized and enjoy the wonder of camping. What ever you do don’t forget the bug spray. Remember camping is more than just a vacation, it’s family together memories.

If your worried about forgetting some essential camp supplies have a look at the camping checklist. The camping checklist is a great list to work off of, it has everything you could possibly need to remember to bring plus more!

Author: Sally Seals

Edited By: CampTrip.com

No more!  Here’s a list of camping supplies to remember, that are commonly forgotten. What I like to do is have a large plastic Tupper-ware box where I store all these camping supplies. It keeps everything together and ready for the next camping trip. If I use up a particular camping item, I write down what needs to be replaced on a piece of paper. This way I know what needs to be added for the next camping trip.

Camping Supplies to Remember:

Waterproof Matches with a Piece of Sandpaper – The rough strike area on the match box always wears out.

Manual Can Opener – When the fish aren’t biting there’s always beans.

Wash Rags – They’re good for dish rags, drying hands and kids in a pinch.

Pliers – Regular and Needle-nose. These are great for skinning catfish among many other things.

Paring Knife – Peeling potatoes to cutting a kids fishing pole from a bush.

Safety Pins – Temporary fix to repair clothes, zippers etc. Can even be used to hook a worm.

Calamine Lotion – Soothes just about any bug bite or rash.

Big Box of Band-aids and a large Tube of Antibiotic Ointment – For all the “ouchies” that are going to happen.

Metal Silverware – At least a fork for everybody and large cooking spoons.

Pocket Raincoats – Cheap and help when it’s damp and cold.

Old Sauce Pan – Essential for cooking meals and can be used for washing dishes in.

Sewing Kit – Scissors and needles in case something needs repairing. It happens…

Plastic Drop Cloth or Tarp – Put it under your tent or sleeping bag to keep out the damp.

Tin Foil – Use it for cooking and protecting your food, removing rust and much more! You’ll realize how handy it is once you have it on hand.

Ziplock Bags – Helps keep all your stuff organized, food fresh, as well as preventing bugs from getting into your food.

Old Plastic Bowls and Glasses – Nothing fancy or breakable. Plastic dishes are the best thing for camping plus, they’re easy to wash.

Checkout our Camping Pocket Guide with useful Advice and Tips for Your next Camping Trip.

Dish Soap & Sponge – One of the most forgotten camping supplies. It is quite handy when you need to wash up the dishes or wipe a table down.

Duct Tape –  They don’t say it has 101 uses for nothing. It can repair holes in tents, tarps or air mattresses. Put it on feet to prevent blisters or use it to help bandage injuries. Bring Duct Tape when camping. At some point you’ll be glad you did.

Hot Pads – Whatever is coming off the campfire or grill is going to be hot. Make sure you have a hot pad to put the pot on.

Washing Line & Clothes Pins -When things get dirty and wet (which they will) you’ll want to hang them out to dry.

Extra Batteries – Don’t be left in the dark. The last thing you want is darkness to fall and realize your flashlight is out of juice.

Now you are geared with a list of  camping supplies, that are most commonly forgotten. None of these camping supplies cost much. But they have sure saved me time and again. If you can remember to pack all these supplies you’ll be one step closer to a blissful camping trip.

Author: Janet Akin

Edited By: CampTrip.com

For years, I have heard many great stories and comments about Ohiopyle State Park in Southwestern Pennsylvania. My friend and I, two moms, packed her minivan with camping and rafting gear, bikes and our kids and off we went seeking outdoor adventures.

Exploring Ohiopyle State Park:

From Washington DC, Ohiopyle is a three hour drive and from Pittsburg, 90 minutes. Ohiopyle is located in the Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania, an area lush and green, a temperate rainforest with a large tree canopy shading mountain laurel, rhododendron and ferns. Mountain streams fall from steep ravines and feed the Youghiogheny River.

White Water Rafting

The river provides a white water adventure for children on class I and II rapids to thrill seeking adults who kayak or raft class IV and V rapids. Four companies in Ohiopyle provide guided and unguided trips. My daughter couldn’t wait to ride the rapids; however, it wasn’t in the cards. We experienced temps in the 60’s and rain that creates blue lips and shivering children. Not kid (or mommy) fun!

Camping in Ohiopyle State Park

We established home for three days in the Ohiopyle State Park: staking tents, spreading out chairs, hanging a hammock and setting-up the stove. Thank goodness for the tarp because it became our togetherness refuge under the raindrops. The girls stuck together in the two-person and my son hung with the moms. Each site provided a bit of privacy from the next and the bathrooms (showers in a separate house) were “not the best I’ve seen but not the worst,” said my daughter.

The Fallingwater Marvel

Water play, rafting and riding the natural waterslides (video), didn’t make the agenda for the trip due to the weather. Instead, we wore pants and jackets, a great reprieve from the hot, humid temps in DC, to hike, bike, and visit Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright’s incredible, organic architecture home built over Bear Run for the Kauffman family in 1936. This ingenious marvel is the epitome of what outdoor living should be, besides camping of course!

Hiking and Biking

We hiked and biked the Great Allegheny Passage, a rails trail from Pittsburg to Cumberland, MD. After establishing home and cooking dinner, we took a twilight hike down the ravine to the Passage to walk amongst the fog that enveloped the old railroad bridge above the Youghiogheny. We also biked in search of the many waterfalls on side trails along the Passage. My kids braved a STEEP downhill climb to one with me in nervous tow. Well worth the nervous climb!

So much to do in Ohiopyle State Park with not enough time. We will be back to raft or kayak, ride the natural water slides, mountain bike, rock climb and some day bike the entire Great Allegheny Passage. This trip created great memories. We look forward to more in Ohiopyle State Park.

Read more about Jennifer in my interview with her: “Hiking Along with Jennifer”

If you would like to Write a Guest Post please let us know! We are always happy to publish what other campers and outdoor enthusiasts have to say!

By Jennifer Chambers – Owner, Hiking Along, LLC.

Edited By: CampTrip.com

What could be missing? With all the right camping equipment you’ll manage fine, but you might want to note a little advice from someone who was brought up on camping.

I have traipsed around Europe, America, the Far East and Australasia with my camping-fanatical parents; and then, as the seed was sown, I found myself heading out to the wild, old countryside on a motorbike, completely alone, to do the same thing by myself before introducing the wonderful idea to my husband and kids.  I can list canvas tents, bivouacs, camper vans, free camping, family campsites, beaches, woods, desert and the starlight hotel in my conquests.

We all know the obvious camping supplies to take but to be sure you have everything you need check out this camping checklist which will help you prepare and pack everything you need for your camping trip.

Things to Make the Camping Experience Better:

• Tents with bedrooms, insect repelling curtains and built- in storage easy to unfold and pop up (rather than standing in the dark trying to knock in a tent peg with a stone, ie: a makeshift hammer).
• Wearing lightweight polyester keeps you the camper dry rather than lying under canvas in the rain, wondering where the next big wet splodge will hit you.
• Snow tents that actually keep you warm rather than you having to try and ‘harden up’ in the icy conditions.

So, after all the obvious, what would I not travel without in any circumstances?  There are three simple camping supplies that I make sure I always have.

Camping Supplies to Never go Without:

1. Plastic Bags

Grab a big clutch of these. They can be used for just about everything you can think of; scrunched down to nothing, they weigh very little.  Campers usually have to travel light, so whatever your mode of transport – walking, biking or vehicling these little beauts are life savers. Use to:

• Wrap up your damp swimwear and towels.
• Store clean clothes separate from the used.
• Fill with ice to make ice packs for bruises.
• Use as a bucket (if there are no holes) to collect water.
• Make sand bags to wall up a side of a tent in a windy situation.
• Sit on whilst on a wet boat or damp grass.
• Stay dry in the rain (with a really big bag, cut a hole in the end to make a nifty coat).
• Collect edible berries or firewood.
• Collect the trash and take it and your bags home with you.

2. Earplugs

What? Can’t hear you? One man’s party is another man’s noise.
You’ve just found the ideal spot on the side of a lake where there are a few tents already up. Later, you sit by your campfire pondering the universe whilst the balmy evening shows a spectacular starry night, replete with shooting stars. You snuggle down for a good night’s sleep, trusting the universe is safe and wonderful when, suddenly, at 1am it’s party time. Do you go and yell at 15 loud, young people vs. 1 of you? Trust me, you won’t win. Either join in or stick in the ‘plugs’. Use earplugs when:

• The party is raging outside. You can then get a solid night of sleep (the noises of the party muffled) so that you’re fresh and ready to complain the next day.
• Camping on a windswept island so that the experience isn’t quite as ear-blowing.
• You are sleeping alongside a normally charming person in the daytime who turns into a snoring monster in a tent.
• The kids (or you) are screaming because they’re terrified that earwigs are going to crawl into their ears.
• You’re cycling. Not just for sleeping, earplugs can be real ear-savers for this activity as well.

3. Corkscrew

Okay, you’re at your destination, all set up. The steaks are cooking and you fancy a glass of the great wine you’ve brought along that will complete the camping experience beautifully. And: there’s no corkscrew. In the movies, a hero prances in with a sabre and, with one blow, cuts off the top.

Alright, so you forgot the sabre? There are grim ways to open a bottle of wine; sticking in a knife is one, but that only makes you look desperate and leaves you having to spit out bits of cork the whole bottle through. There’s really only one use for a corkscrew, but it’s an invaluable one – don’t go without it.

• And if the corkscrew is attached to a Swiss army knife, it becomes even more valuable!

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Author: Julie Harries

Edited by: CampTrip.com