I want to get your opinion on...
 

camping as a way to see the backcountry. I find dayhikes dont cut it because I cant get into the backcountry enough to see the great scenery. My wife does not like camping (tenting) so I end up going alone about once a year on a really good backcountry hike for about three days. I dont pretend to like sleeping in a tent(even on a foamie) because I dont find it comfortable to sleep. However I find it very satisfying to have tent, sleeping bag, food etc all in my backpack and the freedom to start and stop when I want as long as I make my next campsite when I am supposed to. Does anybody feel like me that tenting is not fun but is a must for the scenery? There are no b and b's in the mountains where I go. Can't wait till the snow goes away in the mountains, probably July or August!:)

It was fun when I was a kid in the boy scouts. Now camping out is no wif-fi only 3G cell service. I just don't care for bug bites, and no AC and no bed.

We are alike, recycled sixtie. Tenting is not the most comfortable, but you can maximize your comfort. The right sleeping pad(s), bag, base layer underwear, etc. Plus.....Lunesta or Ambien or Trazodone or whatever.

There is nothing like being in the back country. That is where I take my deepest, smoothest breaths. My spirit CRAVES silence. Days of it at a time.

Lot less back country than their used to be around here, too bad.

Something to be said for not seeing any other primates for a week

I have always loved being on my own in the mountains. I suppose the feeling of freedom has something to do with it. I quit carryiing a tent a long time ago in favor of a tarp. I have bought a few tarps over the past decades from Campmor. I go for the 10'X20', waterproof, ripstop nylon. For me it's lighter and more flexible in usage than a tent. Tarps have grommets around the edges where I tie on maybe 15' of cord. This allows setting it up in lots of different configurations. The only thing you have to do is dig drainage trenches around them under the drip line if it rains. You can use it for shelter or just a sun shade. I want to spend 2 weeks in the Sierras duriing late summer/early fall if I can handle it. My age might intervene and it might well be my last if I do go. It sucks to get to that point in life.

i love a tent, sleeping bag, lightweight pad. i sleep like a baby.

i am embarrased to admit, my tolerance of filth is getting city-fied. i cant stand my own stink anymore.

but to answer the original question..around here you can disappear on a day hike.

To see the back country, I prefer this:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1329850607.jpg

and then a nice lodge:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1329850645.jpg

I used to love camping as a kid but by the time I was 30 I was finished with camping for a holiday. The reason is my job, as a Diamond driller I\ve been to some really remote places, float plane and chopper access only and we always stayed in tents in all seasons, there's nothing like sleeping in a tent (insulated 14' x 16') at 40* below, so cold the fuel for the stove gels and the stove goes out, the guy with the crappiest sleeping bag always fixes the stove cause he's freezing. I have the best bag money can buy. For the last 5 years, 7-8 months a year I've been sleeping under a tarp inside a bug net in the jungle. This kinda job takes the wind outta your sails when it comes to holiday camping.
Finn

That is why we have national parks to avoid this kind of thing:eek:. However I am allowed to take bearspray, but dogs have to be on leash. No firearms allowed in parks either. Nothing is perfect but the silence is golden. :)

I agree with you! I can't sleep on a camping trip until the second night, and it is usually only because I am so exhausted from not sleeping the first night.

Don't know about your area, but I do know there are some "hut-to-hut" type of things that are avaliable.

My last night in a tent:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1329855064.jpg

The Adirondacks are great for backpacking. There are a few huts around but plenty of tent sites. The trails are excellent with plenty of water around. I highly recommend a week in the Adk.

Where is that? It's beautiful!

to avoid bug bites, and the need for A/C , you want to ski in and camp on nice soft snow

sleep with the stove between your legs

That will only get you to the trailhead. Certainly not into any kind of real back country.

That is nothing like a real back country lodge.

That's recently been rescinded.

I've backpacked all of my life and, at 51 years old, still crave those lonely days out in the real back country. As Superman put it, That is where I take my deepest, smoothest breaths. My spirit CRAVES silence. Days of it at a time.

I ran up on this link and thought it might be interesting to you camping folks. I had no idea people did this. I find the whole concept chilling to say the least!

All You Need to G.O.O.D. You Can Carry on Your Back, by Charles M. - SurvivalBlog.com