Camping Life articles from June 2005

Camping Life archives from June 2005

Shopping for summer.(Campsite)
June 1, 2005... With the peak summer camping season just around the corner, your thoughts may have turned to carefree days of hiking, swimming, fishing, campfire stories and s'mores. Hopefully, you've already begun the task of sorting through your cache of...

Luxury campground spotlight: El Capitan Canyon.(Trail Signs)
June 1, 2005... El Capitan Canyon, just north of Santa Barbara, California, seems to have it all: natural beauty with luxury accommodations. The campground has added a number of group activities that can be designed for family reunions, retreats or even...

REI offers registry for camping couples.(Trail Signs)(REI.com)(Recreational Equipment Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... For camping couples who want to register for hiking boots or microfleece pants rather than crystal glasses and silver serving bowls for their wedding, REI offers an integrated online, phone and store gift registry for all your camping-gear...

"Leave No Trace" 10th anniversary celebration.(Trail Signs)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... In celebration of its 10th anniversary, the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics is taking its ongoing mission of promoting responsible outdoor recreation to another level by launching the 10 Million Challenge. The nonprofit group is...

New service makes South Carolina state park reservations easy.(Trail Signs)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Planning a vacation at any South Carolina state park is now easier thanks to the State Park Services' new central reservation service. A national call center (866/345-PARK) that opened earlier this year makes it easier to find vacancies at...

Wildlife watch.(Trail Signs)(wildlife conservation)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... The rise in global temperature due to human-made greenhouse gas emissions is threatening various wildlife, according to The Wildlife Society. In March, the Maryland-based organization of wildlife professionals adopted a policy calling for the...

Nile River expedition captured in documentary.(Trail Signs)
June 1, 2005... Adventurer Pasquale Scaturro took an incredible journey when he decided to lead the first-ever modern navigation of the Blue Nile River. He faced many challenges along the way, all of which were captured in "Mystery of the Nile," a film...

Can you dig the badger?(Wildlife)
June 1, 2005... There's nothing that looks quite like a badger. Its squat, flat body shape is distinct, as are its characteristic markings. A white stripe divides the badger's dark forehead. Its cheeks are white with dark patches near the ears. And its...

Sandwich sensations.(Camp Kitchen)(recipes)
June 1, 2005... When it's too hot to cook in camp and life is moving too quickly to fuss over food, the simple sandwich saves the day. Here are ways to elevate this common meal to royal status in your campsite or in roadside rest stops as you travel. ...

SureFire Outdoorsman.(Gear Head)(Product/Service Evaluation)
June 1, 2005... It was a dark and stormy night. Well, it was stormy, at least. The reason it wasn't dark was because I was testing the SureFire E20 Outdoorsman flashlight. The Outdoorsman is a member of the company's Executive Series of very serious...

Lowa Renegade II GTX Mid Lady.(Gear Head)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... All too often, women's boots seem to be little more than an afterthought from the manufacturer. Some "women's" boots, in fact, seem to be nothing but smaller-sized men's boots with the word "lady" embroidered somewhere on the upper. Lowa is one...

Brunton Atlas GPS.(Gear Head)(Global Positioning System)(Product/Service Evaluation)
June 1, 2005... My first handheld GPS unit was a thick, bulky thing that did little more than give you a vague idea of where you were by way of latitude and longitude coordinates. It wasn't terribly accurate, it ate batteries by the hundreds, and yet I thought...

Therm-a-Rest ProLite.(Gear Head)(Product/Service Evaluation)
June 1, 2005... I like to be comfortable. It's a privilege that comes with age, perhaps, and even though I am not quite over the hill, I still prefer plush over pain, especially when I am trying to sleep. That's why the new Therm-a-Rest self-inflating sleeping...

MSR MIOX.(Gear Head)(Product/Service Evaluation)
June 1, 2005... Gone are the days when you could safely dip your cupped hands in a crystal mountain stream and drink your fill, because there's nearly no such thing as a totally reliable wild clean water source left, no matter how far into the backcountry you...

When is a knot not a knot?(Outdoorsman)
June 1, 2005... What most of us call a knot may not be a knot at all. That's because it might be a hitch or a bend. The securing of lines (ropes) to themselves are true knots; to each other, bends, or to other objects, hitches. If there was one knot every...

Roaming Wyoming: a horse will only do two things ...(Column)
June 1, 2005... "He looks like John Wayne up there," said our outfitter, Fritz Meyer. "Or an Indian." Unlike the rest of us greenhorns, Alex had perfect control over his horse "Twinkle." Meyer was commenting on the dashing silhouette Alex presented as he and...

Good sun: keeping safe and having fun in the sunshine.
June 1, 2005... Sunlight brings life. Without it, plants wouldn't grow, the beach would be less fun, and our mental health would decline. Exposure to sunlight also helps our bodies produce Vitamin D, which strengthens us against osteoporosis, numerous cancers,...

Some tools of the trade.(New Products)
June 1, 2005... 1 A Mighty Light You won't have to fuss when using Pelican Products' 2430 MityLite Plus 4AA. Just one hand can turn the light on via the tailcap switch. And Pelican says its high-powered Xenon bulb can blast more than 30 lumens for up to four...

Gallery.
June 1, 2005... This month's Gallery features the photography of Craig Malburg of Los Angeles, California. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Camping...

Seeking shelter: tent camping can be a lot of fun, or it can be miserable; it all depends on the tent. Choosing a tent is one of the most important decisions a camper can make.
June 1, 2005... CLIMATE CONTROL Four-season tents are built for people who camp in severe weather conditions like monsoon rains, high winds and snow. Three-season tents are built for the rest of us. Their shapes are designed less for snow and wind, and...

Restful slumber: a guide to buying your most important bag ... the one you sleep in.
June 1, 2005... A good night's sleep is priceless. Whether car camping in a luxury family tent, or packing deep into the wild and sleeping under the stars, there's nothing like crawling into a great sleeping bag at day's end. If you're about to go shopping for...

Take a hike: a pair from this collection of hiking-footwear highlights could soon be on your wandering feet.
June 1, 2005... It's a big world out there, and it can seem a whole lot bigger if you're trying to hike even a little part of it while wearing the wrong shoes. But it's safe to say that the broad array of choices offered today allows you to find exactly the...

Sock it to me: protect and cushion your little piggies with a set of these.
June 1, 2005... When I was a Boy Scout the sock mantra was "one thick outer one thin inner." It was usually a thick rag-wool outer and a thin silk liner sock. That was before the "miracle" socks of today. There are still situations and conditions in which the...

10 reasons: you should plant trees ... now!
June 1, 2005... 1 Trees conserve energy in the summer, and save you money. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 2 Trees help clean the air. 3 Trees bring songbirds close by. 4 Trees around your home can increase its value by up to 15% or more. 5 Trees...

America's Top 100 Family Campgrounds.(Camping Spotlight)
June 1, 2005... The "Top 100 Family Campgrounds" were selected based on criteria requested by family campers including park amenities, beautiful outdoor scenery, and educational facilities. The criteria included parks that offer hot showers, laundry...

America's top outdoor locations.(Camping Spotlight)
June 1, 2005... Top 5 Amazing Locations Devonian Fossil Gorge--Coralville Lake--Iowa City, IA Goblin Valley State Park--UT Watkins Glen State Park--Watkins Glen, NY Landsford Canal State Park--Catawba, SC Top 5 Biking Trails ...

America's Top 100 Campgrounds.(Camping Spotlight)
June 1, 2005... The "Top 100 Family Campgrounds" were selected based on criteria requested by family campers including park amenities, beautiful outdoor scenery, and educational facilities. The criteria included parks that offer hot showers, laundry...

Jayco Jay Feather LGT 29Y: the Jay Feather 29Y proved to be comfortable and versatile.(RV TEST)(Product/Service Evaluation)
June 1, 2005... It's not often we get to spend more than a day or two with a travel trailer during our examination period, but every once in a while we find ourselves living in one long enough to call it home. In the case of the Jayco Jay Feather 29Y travel...

Lakota: turtle legend.(Campfire Stories)
June 1, 2005... The Lakota were once part of the Dakota, a much larger group of people that lived in the northern woodlands, including areas of southern Minnesota. Within the Dakota were three closely related language groups--the Dakota-speakers, the...