camping

[balapickerel]

does anyone camp on a regular basis? i was thinking about trying winter camping. ofcourse i would try it in my back yard to see if i could manage but my sleeping bag is only rated for -5 and i don't know if my tent would help keep in my body heat.

 

[Porter86]

i know first thing would be that you would need a new sleeping bag, no question about that. i havnt camped in a long time, i mainly go out in cottages or trailers,lol.

 

[balapickerel]

we have two tents, one thats about the size of a double bed and one that can fit eight people. i love sleeping in a tent in the summer and fall because all the noises of the night are amplified.

 

[Porter86]

I would totally agree, i remember when i was younger n camped, some people dont like those noises, it scares them. Oh the good ol outdoors.

 

[YAWN]

I HATE CAMPING, I'd rather drop a few bills on a bed in a motel as I've a bad experience waking up soaked and falling a sleep on a root frig the body wasn't happy.

Now it's either sleep in the car or motel no more camping! I prefer the car "cheaper" just gotta keep swamping from front to back so at least one of us gets a decent nights sleep. The mini van days were the best!

Got bust at Algonquin park drinking/smoking party on the beech, emptying the pockets as I was dragged off "when I was younger 16 I think". Took me back to mother she turns round "u cops, Nope then get lost she said when the cops come send them over" hahahahahaahahah I was so proud that day and she's only 5ft 2"!

 

[balapickerel]

my familly doesn't know any campgrounds butwhen we're at the cottage we allways sleep in the big tent because it's allways cooler than the cottage. last time we did that we were woken when beaver cut down a tree and it fell on the tent, two nights later we heard loud crashing noises and i went out to scare away what i thought to be a beaver only to find out that it was a fully grown grizzly bear :? i was lucky that it ran away and not at me :?
we also hear loons all night and are woken by the sound of a resident woodpecker in the morning. i love the outdoors
we also slept through the worst of the summer rain storms in that tent. it's got a seven foot roof so the best thing about it is that i can stand up in it

 

[frozenfire]

grizzly bears are not native to Ontario. I believe you ran into a black bear, which are very common here.

 

[balapickerel]

well whatever it was it split a four foot log in half and was HUGE!

 

[Porter86]

HAHA, so dont mess with it,lol.

 

[frozenfire]

i remember last year camping at killbear.... woke up to a raccoon making grunting noises right beside my face on the other side of the tent. I almost pissed myself. :?

 

[Porter86]

I'm pretty sure, that would almost make anyone do that. If that was my GF she prob would have jumped out of her skin,lol. Prob why she wont camp in a tent,lol..:?

 

[balapickerel]

racoons aren't to scary, i've had to set traps for them when they found a way into my cottage for winter, not harmful traps, the ones that they can get into but not out of.

 

[frozenfire]

yah, i know... i've had my fair share of close encounters with raccoons...but they sure are freaky when you wake up with one next to your face screaming at you.
i remember it making so much noise and commotion that other campers in the area had to use their flashlights and shine on our tent to see what the hell was going on!

 

[balapickerel]

and they don't mess around when it comes to safety, my grandparents had these huge newfoundland dog, and one of them that weighed 120 pounds was chasing a racoon up a tree and the racoon turned around and stuck it's claw in the dogs front lip and almost tore the left side of the dogs face off! :?

 

[Porter86]

It depends on the environment there in to a point. We have a pekingese cross, we dont know what, but it had a raccoon double its size in body mass height n length, and my dog, had it pinned in a corner in out backyard, they were both acting like bears when they stand up and start swinging there legs, and the raccoon couldnt do anything, my dad had to go out with a hockey stick, pull my dog away and than whacked the raccoon as it was running across the fence. lol.

But thats crazy what it did, i guess cause he had the upper hand from being high up.

 

[YAWN]

Racoons are smarter than dogs people and if raised from a baby very friedly & super Smart animals.

 

[Porter86]

They are, look at what they can, that some humans have problems doing,lol. Other than when they run out in front of a car, lol.

 

[jaimela]

I go camping every year and have gone winter camping. Winter camping is definetly something I wouldn't do again as its too cold to sleep in a tent, no matter how warm your sleeping blanket is. Through my camping experiences, I have found Sibbald's point to be one of the best. The things that I like about there are the fact that:
a) it's nearby (only 45 mins from Toronto)
:wink: the park rangers don't bother you (for the most part)
c) there are different areas to accomodate what your going there for (partying, family area, etc)
d) there's a nice sandy beach in close walking distance
e) campsites are fairly private and most of them are a decent size
f) prices are reasonable for what you are getting

I have been to other campgrounds where the rangers look for absolutely any reason to throw people out (intoxicated or not). Some have way too many bugs which make the trip annoying. The other nice thing about Sibbald's point is that its fairly close to town so if you aren't going for hard core camping you can still leave your site and enjoy the nearby city.

 

[David Kearney]

Camping is GREAT...I try and go 2 or 3 times a year...early spring or late fall is the times I enjoy, but it can get pretty cold, no matter what tent and sleeping bag you have...make sure you have a good thick bedroll to keep you off the ground...Winter camping can be tough, there is not as much recource around, but give it a try I am sure you will find something you like about it.

 

[balapickerel]

my favorite time to go camping is mid fall, it's not too hot or too cold and the leaves are changing colours, and it's not too buggy